Joel-Peter Witkin was born on September 13, 1939 along with his twin brother, Jerome, in Brooklyn, New York. Artistry seems to run through the veins of these brothers, as Joel-Peter is a highly acclaimed photographer and his twin Jerome is a well-known painter. Witkin's father was Jewish and his mother was Roman-Catholic. Their religious differences caused a huge strain on the marriage. Witkin's parents filed for divorce while the twins were still young. Witkin and his brother continued living with their mother and attended Catholic schooling. Joel-Peter served in the army from 1961-1964 and then continued his education in college. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at Cooper Union. He then received a fellowship in poetry at Columbia University
Joel-Peter Witkin often tells an autobiographical story that explains "the bloody birth of his artistic destiny." At the age of six, he witnessed a traumatic event that changed his life forever. …
