Nan Goldin’s photo book Cookie Mueller, made as a tribute to the cult American actress and writer after her early death from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1989. After chance encounters in New York throughout the late 1970s, the pair struck up a friendship after Goldin recognised Mueller from her roles in the films of John Waters. This book – published in 1990 following an exhibition held at Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York – features 15 photos Goldin took of Mueller over the space of their 13-year friendship. Several of the photographs are also included in The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Goldin’s legendary autobiographical visual diary which chronicled her life and friendships against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. “I used to think I couldn’t lose anyone if I photographed them enough,” said Goldin. “I put together this series of pictures from the hundreds I took of Cookie during the 13 years I knew her in order to keep her with me. In fact it shows me how much I’ve lost.”