Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus (born Diane Nemerov) (March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer, noted for her portraits of people on the fringes of society. (Her first name was pronounced "Dee-ann.")

Early life

Arbus was born in New York City into a wealthy Jewish family, in which she was overshadowed by her older brother, the poet, Howard Nemerov. Arbus fell in love with future-actor Allan Arbus at age 14, and married him soon after turning 18, despite her parents' objections. When Allan started training as a photographer for the US Army, he taught Diane his lessons. She also learned about photography through photographer, Lisette Model. The Arbuses ran a successful fashion photography studio for 20 years, before separating in 1959. The Arbuses had two daughters, photographer Amy Arbus and writer and art director Doon Arbus.

Photography career

After separating from her husband, Arbus studied with Alexey Brodovitch and Richard Avedon. Beginning in 1960, Arbus worked extensively as a photojournalist, her photos appearing in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Sunday Times magazines, among others.

Arbus' early work was created using 35mm cameras, but by the 1960s Arbus adopted the Rolleiflex medium format twin-lens reflex. This format provided a square aspect ratio, higher image resolution, and a waist-level viewfinder that allow Arbus to connect with her subjects in ways that a standard eye-level viewfinder did not. Arbus also experimented with the use of flashes in daylight, allowing her to highlight and separate her subjects from the background.

In 1963, Arbus received a Guggenheim fellow grant, allowing her to focus on her art. Arbus received a second Guggenheim grant in 1966. The Museum of Modern Art, in 1967, staged Arbus' first museum show as the New Documents show which included the work of Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander. Arbus also taught photography at the Parsons School of Design in New York and Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

In July 1971, Arbus ended her own life in Greenwich Village, at the age of 48 by ingesting a large quantity of barbiturates and then cutting open her wrists. Rumors held that she photographed her suicide, but no photos were discovered by the police.

Aperture magazine was crucial in reviving Arbus' artistic reputation. MoMA curator John Szarkowski prepared to stage a retrospective in 1972, but the accompanying Diane Arbus catalogue proposal was turned down by all major publishing houses. Aperture's Michael E. Hoffman accepted the challenge, producing one of the most influential photography books. The Aperture monograph has since been reprinted 12 times, selling more than 100,000 copies. The MoMA retrospective traveled throughout North America attracting more than 7 million viewers. Also in 1972, Arbus became the first American photographer to be represented at the Venice Biennale. Arbus' photograph, Identical Twins is sixth on the list of the list of most expensive photographs havings sold in 2004 for $478,400.

Arbus is remembered today for her photographs depicting outsiders, such as tranvestites, dwarves, giants, prostitutes, and ordinary citizens in poses and settings conveying a disturbing uncanniness. Some critics claim that Arbus' voyeuristic approach demeaned her subjects. In 2005 Germaine Greer made this claim on BBC Culture Show, based around a major London retrospective of Arbus's works. Admirers of Arbus's work (such as Todd Solondz) were also interviewed by the BBC and passionately defended her work.

Famous photographs

Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park ^*, New York City (1962) — A scrawny boy, with the left strap of his jumper awkwardly hanging off his shoulder, tensely holds his long, thin arms by his side. Clenching a toy grenade in his right hand and holding his left hand in a claw-like gesture, his facial expression is maniacal. Arbus captured this photograph by having the boy stand while moving around him, claiming she was trying to find the right angle. The boy became impatient and told her to "Take the picture already!" His tired, frustrated expression conveys his weariness with the whole endeavor.

Identical Twins (above), (1967) — Young twin sisters are seen standing side by side in corduroy dresses. One slightly smiles and the other slightly frowns. Arbus's aesthetic in this photo was echoed in Stanley Kubrick's film, The Shining that featured twins in an identical pose.

Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents in The Bronx, NY ^* (1970) — Eddie Carmel, the "Jewish Giant", stands in his family's apartment with his much shorter mother and father. The photo is open to many interpretations. Some viewers see how the man's unusual body has not interfered with a normal, happy home life. Others viewers see a stiffness in the parents' postures that shows a gulf between Eddie and his family. Others still see surprise in Mrs. Carmel's expression looking up at her son, as if for the first time.

Arbus quotes

"Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats."

"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know."

"What I'm trying to describe is that it's impossible to get out of your skin into somebody else's.... That somebody else's tragedy is not the same as your own."

"I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse."

"My favourite thing is to go where I have never gone."

Films about Arbus

Nicole Kidman stars in a movie called Fur, in which she portrays Diane Arbus. Details are at Fur (2006) at Internet Movie Database

External links

Masters of Photography article and photographs
Double Exposure Washington Post article; stories behind the photographs, interviews with the Wade twins, Colin "grenade boy" Wood, and others.
Diane Arbus: Art as Freakshow? Prof. Christie Davies, Social Affairs Unit Web Review
Diane Arbus: Revealed And Rediscovered Washington Post article; Photo Essay by Frank Van Riper
Diane Arbus: Revelations exhibition, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 13 Otober 2005 — 15 January 2006