DIANE ARBUS 1923 1971 v Jewish family 1923

DIANE ARBUS 1923 -1971

v Jewish family 1923. Owned Russeks Department store v Attended Fieldston School for Ethical Culture v Married childhood sweetheart Allan Arbus in 1941 (separated 1959) v Her non-commercial work oriented toward the unfamous -- a couple on a park bench, a young Republican, identical twin girls -- and the marginal: dwarves, drag queens, circus performers v Avoided cropping images and would only print full frames as composed within the camera

CAREER • After marrying Allan Arbus 1941 began commercial photography business. . . Diane styling shoots and developing ideas. • 19060 s pursued own assignments/personal work using 2 ¼ format Rolleiflex camera. . . ’These pictures are mesmerizing’ • Early 1960 s commercial portraits for Esquire/Harper’s Bazaar • During 1960 s taught photography at Parsons school of design/Rhode Island school of design

Diane Arbus' contact sheet from the photo shoot FAMOUS PHOTOS Child With Hand Grenade – Central Park, New York (1962) (An original print of the photograph sold for $408, 000 April 2005, at Christie's in New York) (Used on cover of punk band SNFU’s 1 st studio album, without permission) Identical Twins – Roselle, New Jersey (1967) (Photo echoed in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining) Contact sheet from the photo shoot http: //diane-arbus-photography. com/index. html

‘Giving a camera to Diane is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child’ Norman Mailer – American Novelist ‘Pictures are unforgettable silvery black and white squares with smudgy edges that tell intense and compelling stories of loneliness, strangeness and sadness’ (On ‘The Untitled Series’ first published by Aperture 1972. Series of pictures taken 1970 -1971. Tattooed man/transvestites/circus performers etc. ))

• July 1971 Arbus took own life aged 48. Some see her life as one long suicide note composed using a camera. • ‘Diane Arbus Revelations’ - 2003 – Major exhibition by San Francisco MOMA (Most attended solo photography exhibition in MOMA history) • FUR: An imaginary portrait of Diane Arbus – 2006 - life story motion picture starring Nicole Kidman • "Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot, " she wrote. "It was one of the first things I photographed and it had a terrific kind of excitement for me. I just used to adore them. . . they made me feel a mixture of shame and awe. • Arbus' work impacts the photography world with a sharp attack on the boundaries of what is considered to be "proper" or "tasteful" art.

Forces us to question the morality of photography. . . What gives us the right?