- Original name:
- Diane Nemerov
- Died:
- July 26, 1971, New York City (aged 48)
Diane Arbus
-
Who was Diane Arbus?
Diane Arbus (1923â1971) was an American photographer known for portraits of people on the margins of society.
Born Diane Nemerov in New York City, she came from a wealthy family. She and her husband Allan Arbus began as commercial fashion photographers before she studied with Lisette Model and turned to fine art.
Arbus received Guggenheim fellowships in 1963 and 1966 for a project called âAmerican Rites, Manners, and Customs.â During this time, she mastered the square format and flash lighting techniques that became hallmarks of her style. Her photography explored individuals living on the outskirts of society, such as nudists, cross-dressers, and people with disabilities. Her work evoked strong reactions, with some praising its empathy and others criticizing its voyeuristic nature.
In 1971, Arbus died by suicide. Her work was featured at the Venice Biennale in 1972, marking the first time an American photographer received the honor.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kind of photography did Diane Arbus create?
Diane Arbus, born March 14, 1923, was renowned for her compelling and often disturbing portraits of marginalized individuals. Arbus's photography featured subjects living on the outskirts of society, such as nudists, people of short stature, and cross-dressers. Her technique involved using a square format and flash lighting, lending a sense of theatricality and surrealism to her work.
Her dramatic, straightforward images brought figures to the fore who were often ignored in daily life. Some found her work empathetic, while others viewed it as voyeuristic. Alongside Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander, Arbus was recognized as part of a new generation of photographers who favored realism over beauty.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What subjects did Diane Arbus often photograph?
Diane Arbus was an American photographer known for portraits of people on the margins of society.
Arbus explored subjects such as nudists, cross-dressers, people of short stature, and people with disabilities. Her photography captured individuals often ignored in daily life, bringing them to the forefront. Some found her work empathetic, while others viewed it as voyeuristic.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Diane Arbus's work challenge people's ideas about beauty and normality?
Diane Arbus challenged conventional notions of beauty and normality through her photography by focusing on individuals living on the margins of society, such as nudists, cross-dressers, and people with disabilities. Her work brought marginalized figures to the forefront, who were often ignored in daily life, and invited viewers to engage with them.
Arbus's images evoked strong responses, with some critics praising her empathy and others disturbed by what they perceived as a harsh, voyeuristic gaze into the lives of the disadvantaged. Her dramatic, straightforward style favored realism over traditional beauty, influencing subsequent generations of photographers.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Diane Arbus considered important in the history of photography?
Diane Arbus (1923â1971) is significant in the history of photography for her compelling portraits of marginalized figures of society. Arbus unflinchingly examined individuals often ignored in daily life, such as nudists, cross-dressers, and people with disabilities.
Her dramatic, straightforward images brought these figures to the fore, shaping a personal and distinctive style that favored realism over beauty. Some found her work empathetic, while others viewed it as voyeuristic. In 1972, Arbus was the first American photographer to have her work shown at the Venice Biennale. Her approach influenced later photographers, establishing intimate documentary work as an important genre.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some of Diane Arbus's most famous photographs, and what makes them unique?
Diane Arbus (1923â1971) was an American photographer known for portraits of people on the margins of society individuals of short stature.
Arbus's style, which favored realism over beauty, involved a square format and flash lighting, lending a theatrical, surreal feel. Her photography brought marginalized figures to the foreground, creating intimate images that evoked strong reactions and engaged the viewer.
Some of her work was displayed in the Museum of Modern Art exhibit, "New Documents." In 1972, Arbus was the first American photographer featured at the Venice Biennale.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Diane Arbus (born March 14, 1923, New York, New York, U.S.âdied July 26, 1971, New York City) was an American photographer, best known for her compelling, often disturbing, portraits of people from the edges of society.
Diane Nemerov was the daughter of Gertrude Russek and David Nemerov, proprietors of a department store. Her older brother was the poet and critic Howard Nemerov. At age 18 she married Allan Arbus (divorced 1969), an employee at her familyâs store. Before separating, they worked collaboratively, first taking photographs and creating advertisements for the store, then creating commercial fashion photography for Harperâs Bazaar, Show, Esquire, Glamour, The New York Times, and Vogue.
After taking a brief photography course with Berenice Abbott, Arbus met Lisette Model, an Austrian-born documentary photographer, and studied with her from about 1955 to 1957. With Modelâs encouragement Arbus gave up commercial work to concentrate on fine-art photography. In 1960 Esquire published Arbusâs first photo-essay, in which she effectively juxtaposed privilege and squalor in New York City. Thereafter she made a living as a freelance photographer and photography instructor.
In 1963 and 1966 Arbus received Guggenheim fellowships to be part of a project titled âAmerican Rites, Manners, and Customs.â During this period she mastered her technique of using a square format, which emphasizes the subject more than the photographâs composition. She also used flash lighting, which gives her work a sense of theatricality and surrealism. She began at that time to explore the subjects that would occupy her for much of her career: individuals living on the outskirts of society, such as nudists, cross-dressers, individuals of short stature, and people with disabilities. Her own evident intimacy with the subjects of her photos resulted in images that engage the sympathy and collusion of the viewer and elicit a strong response. Some critics saw her work as remarkably empathetic to its subjects, while others were disturbed by what they saw as a harsh, voyeuristic look into the lives of the disadvantaged.
In 1971 Arbus died by suicide. A collection of her photos was published in 1972 in connection with a successful major exhibition of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. That same year her work was shown at the Venice Biennale, marking the first time that an American photographer received that distinction. In 2003 an extensive exhibition of her work opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and later traveled throughout the United States and Europe. An accompanying book, Diane Arbus Revelations (2003), contained some 200 photographs as well as excerpts from her letters and notebooks. In 2007 Arbusâs estate gifted her complete archivesâincluding photographic equipment, diary pages, and the negatives of some 7,500 rolls of filmâto the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.