Question 1

Where can I see Diane Arbus's work?

Accepted Answer

Diane Arbus's work can be viewed in several locations. In New York City, the Museum of Modern Art holds examples of her photography. The Metropolitan Museum of Art also has some of her pieces. Outside of New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, has some photographs by Arbus. The Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, CT, also holds her works. These institutions provide opportunities to view and study Arbus's contributions to photography. It is always worth checking with the museum in advance, to learn which specific works are on display. Many museums also offer online catalogues. These may include works that are in the permanent collection, but not currently on display.

Question 2

What should I know about Diane Arbus's prints?

Accepted Answer

When considering Diane Arbus's prints, bear in mind that the market distinguishes between various types. A 'vintage print' is made around the time the negative was taken. A 'period print' is one made within roughly 10 to 15 years after. Anything printed later is termed an 'old print' or a 'modern print'. An 'original print' is a definitive print made by the artist or under their direct supervision. A 'facsimile' is a print made by re-photographing a print, or using the original negative, with a base and processing as close as possible to a vintage print.

Photographs, unlike paintings or sculptures, rely on industrial processes both before and after the shot. The photographic print results from an artisan process: the shot, the negative's development, and the printing. The photographer may do all three. The market often refers to the 'unique print', using metaphors from painting or sculpture, such as 'light is the photographer's clay'. Some photographers do not print their own photographs; however, a signed photograph is often considered an original.

Question 3

Why are Diane Arbus's works important today?

Accepted Answer

Diane Arbus's photography remains important because of its engagement with identity, gender, and the representation of the body. Her work corresponds with the rise of psychoanalysis and capitalism, reflecting the individual and promoting it in the world.

Arbus's images share qualities with sculpture and performance art, particularly in relation to realism. Her documentary-style portraiture promotes a fantasy of gender transformation. Her images articulate incongruity between the posed body and its assumed costume.

Some critics compare Arbus to Catherine Opie, as both photographed so-called misfits. However, Opie denies the comparison, stating that she tries to present people with dignity and that her portraits "stare back". This creates a power dynamic between photographer, model, and spectator. The power of the gaze in a portrait rests with the image, challenging the spectator's sense of gender congruity.

Arbus's work can be seen in the context of female masculinity. Her portraits are resolute images of female masculinity, in which cross-dressing models take their performances into both the bedroom and public spaces.

Question 4

What techniques or materials did Diane Arbus use?

Accepted Answer

Diane Arbus is known for her square format photographs, often using a twin-lens reflex camera. This camera allowed her to view the subject through one lens while the other lens captured the image.

Arbus primarily worked with black and white film. She typically used medium format film, which produces a larger negative than 35mm film, resulting in greater detail and sharpness in the final print.

In terms of printing, Arbus favoured a distinctive style. She often printed her photographs with a full frame, including the black border around the image. This was a departure from conventional printing practices, where the border is usually cropped off. The inclusion of the border provides a sense of context and emphasises the photograph as an object. She also used a high contrast, which accentuated the tonal range and details within her images.

Question 5

Who did Diane Arbus influence?

Accepted Answer

Diane Arbus's photography, particularly her portraits, has had an impact on subsequent generations of photographers and artists. Her approach to subject matter, often focusing on individuals outside mainstream society, has been both praised and criticised.

Nan Goldin, who began photographing drag queens and transsexuals in the early 1970s, can be seen as an artist who built on some of Arbus's themes. While drag queens had been photographed before, Goldin's work differed. It presented a more intimate and less voyeuristic perspective, arising from her close relationships with her subjects. Goldin aimed to humanise her subjects, moving away from the idea of them as simply unusual or "other". Goldin, along with other "Boston School" artists such as Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Shellburne Thurber, often photographed people in their own environments.

Cindy Sherman, who emerged on the New York art scene in the early 1980s, also shares some connections with Arbus. Sherman's work examines identity and representation, often through self-portraits in which she adopts different personae. Her photographs disrupt traditional ideas about the artist and model, and about looking.

Question 6

Who influenced Diane Arbus?

Accepted Answer

It is difficult to identify specific individuals who directly influenced Diane Arbus. One source mentions Paul Sachs, who worked at Harvard's Fogg Art Museum; Arbus bought his book *Modern Prints and Drawings* after graduating from high school. She thought Boston "must be the place to go" and attended the Museum School for a semester. However, she found it "horrible" and "old-fashioned".

Another artist, William Baziotes, admired Piero della Francesca, Titian, Rembrandt, Utamaro, Rubens, Velasquez, Goya, Fragonard, Ingres, Corot, Seurat, Renoir, Bonnard, Matisse and Miro. He also noted the importance of artistic communities and the unconscious collaboration between artists, naming Mondrian, Duchamp, Max Ernst, and Miro as examples of artists who practiced their uniqueness. While there is no direct connection between Baziotes and Arbus, their shared interest in the unconscious may be relevant.

Question 7

What is Diane Arbus's most famous work?

Accepted Answer

Diane Arbus is best known for her portraits of people she saw as societal outsiders. These included circus performers, transgender people, and others often described as "freaks".

While it is difficult to single out one definitive work, "Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J." (1967) is among her most recognised photographs. It depicts two young sisters, Cathleen and Colleen Wade, in matching dresses. The image's unsettling quality arises from the subtle differences in their expressions and poses, challenging the notion of identicality.

Arbus's work often explores themes of identity, normality, and the relationship between the photographer and subject. Her portraits are not always flattering; she aimed to capture the essence of her subjects, sometimes revealing vulnerability or discomfort. This approach has led to both praise and criticism, with some accusing her of exploitation, while others see her as a compassionate observer.

Question 8

What style or movement did Diane Arbus belong to?

Accepted Answer

Diane Arbus is associated with street photography, a style that emerged in the 1960s alongside Pop art. Street photographers aimed to capture unposed, casual images, resembling amateur snapshots, to eliminate any sense of artificiality. Arbus, along with Robert Frank, Bruce Davidson, Garry Winogrand, Lee Friedlander, and Joel Meyerowitz, documented the "social scene" of urban life.

Arbus is known for her photographs of individuals she termed "freaks": transvestites, hermaphrodites, giants, and dwarfs. Her approach to these marginalised subjects was notably free of prejudice. Paradoxically, her photographs of "normal" people, caught in unscripted moments, often appear the most unsettling.

A retrospective of Arbus's work at the Museum of Modern Art in 1972 elicited strong reactions; some viewers were so disturbed by the perceived ugliness of her subjects that they spat on the pictures.

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