Diane Arbus was an American 20th Century photographer who created intimate black and white portraits. Her fine art photographs depicted marginalized people, such as those with mental illness, so-called “freak show” workers, and transgender people.
Examples of her portraits included female impersonators, body builders, heavily tattooed people, nudists, and triplets. These images portrayed these people both as traditional portraits, posing for the camera, as well as candid images of them at work or leisure. They might be sitting arm in arm, standing, or reclining. Occasionally Arbus photographed scenics such as architecture or landscape.
Her most celebrated works include Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, (1967) a haunting image of formally attired girls, Couple in Their Living Room Hugging (1971) depicting a man lifting a woman who is approximately half his height, and Self-Portrait Pregnant. Arbus worked with the black and white gelatin silver process using both 35mm and 120 film. Many of the photographic prints were small, often ranging from 7 inches/18 cm to 20 inches/51cm.
Arbus, along with her husband, produced numerous fashion photographs for magazines such as Vogue and Glamour, although she much more preferred to produce fine art photography.
Arbus captured many of her photographs on the streets of New York City using 35mm black and white film. In 1972 Diane Arbus was the first photographer to exhibit at the Venice Biennale. Arbus was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1963 and 1966. Her work has been exhibited at numerous museums, such as the MOMA, the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Diane Arbus biographical summary
Born: March 14, 1923, New York, New York
Died: July 26, 1971, New York, NY