Stedelijk and Centraal Museum jointly acquire Memory Lost by Nan Goldin 

Memory Lost tells the deeply personal story of the artist for whom drugs became a prison. By combining hundreds of meticulously selected still and moving images, accompanied by sounds, voice-overs and an emotional soundtrack, Goldin creates a haunting, poignant experience. The images document a life revolving around drug use, addiction, rehab and relationships with other users, dealers, friends, and profiteers. Memory Lost is composed of archive material and never-before-seen footage, complemented by intimate conversations with Goldin’s friends who talk about their experience with drugs and the darkness of addiction.  

Nan Goldin is revered worldwide as one of the most influential artists of our time. Her depictions of the joys and sorrows of a human life through the lens of the camera are legendary. Goldin’s work is raw, intimate, and tender, often intertwined with her own life experiences, and with activism. In the 1980s, she made her name with the iconic photo series The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, a trailblazing work that documented her bohemian circle of friends and the LGBTQ+ community in New York. She has since an artist who speaks out about social issues such as the AIDS crisis and the recent opioid epidemic in the United States.  

Rein Wolfs, director of the Stedelijk Museum: “The Stedelijk has a long history of collecting photography and collected work by Nan Goldin early on. It is fantastic that, after Memory Lost was featured last year in her major retrospective This Will Not End Well, we, and the Centraal Museum, are able to join forces to purchase the work. The generous support of the funds allows us to permanently enrich our collection with this poignant and arresting work about addiction, memory, and friendship.”  

Bart Rutten, director of the Centraal Museum Utrecht: “We are immensely grateful to the funds and the Stedelijk Museum for allowing us to jointly purchase this iconic artwork. Goldin’s masterpiece is an important addition to the Centraal Museum’s recent acquisitions of several notable media works. Goldin's way of chronicling contemporary historiography from a hyper-personal perspective is inspiring for our collection. So, we’re thrilled we’re able to exhibit the work this autumn, on 8 and 9 November during the Le Guess Who festival in Utrecht.”  

Geert-Jan Janse, director of the Rembrandt Association: “Nan Goldin's Memory Lost embodies the contemporary photography and video art we seek to support. It is a haunting, unforgettable installation. The Stedelijk Museum and Centraal Museum deserve credit for this joint acquisition, because it means that Memory Lost will be exhibited in a variety of contexts.”  

Eelco van der Lingen, director of the Mondriaan Fund: “With Memory Lost, the Stedelijk Museum and Centraal Museum have acquired a significant work from Nan Goldin's later oeuvre. The work’s intensely personal perspective, which reflects on the human side of addiction, and way that Goldin brings together art and activism, make it a vital addition to the Dutch State Collection. This acquisition allows us to tell a more complete story of one of photography's greatest pioneers, whose work sparked a true revolution.”