Joel-Peter Witkin 1939

Fine art photographer whose work often deals with such themes as death, corpses (or pieces of them), and various outsiders (such as dwarfs, transsexuals, hermaphrodites, and physically deformed people). His complex tableaux often recall religious episodes or famous classical paintings. Because of the transgressive nature of the contents of his pictures, his works have been labeled exploitative and have sometimes shocked public opinion. His techniques include scratching the negative, bleaching or toning the print, and using a hands-in-the-chemicals printing technique.