Diane Arbus
1923–1971 · United States
The unsettling encounter.
The story
Diane Arbus photographed people in New York, often approaching them on several occasions. After working in fashion, she developed a personal body of work attentive to identities and social roles. Her frontal portraits cannot be reduced to an inventory of differences. They involve the relationship between the photographer, the person represented and the viewer, with their own expectations.
Understanding the work
Observe gazes, distance and postures. Avoid turning subjects into categories: each portrait presents an encounter and also reveals the viewer’s expectations.
Key works and series
Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey; Child with a Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park.
Sources & further exploration
Works in collections.
10 recordsPhotographs to explore on museum and library websites, with titles, dates and processes. Each link opens the collection record and its image where one is available.
- MoMA · 1963
Two boys smoking in Central Park, N.Y.C., 1963
Gelatin silver print, printed by Neil Selkirk
- MoMA · 1965
Puerto Rican woman with beauty mark, N.Y.C., 1965
Gelatin silver print, printed by Neil Selkirk
- MoMA · 1967
Blonde girl with shiny lipstick, N.Y.C., 1967
Gelatin silver print, printed by Neil Selkirk
