Diane Arbus

Why this artist matters now

Diane Arbus made black-and-white photographs of people existing at the edges and the center of American life: carnival performers, nudists, people with dwarfism, strippers, and middle-class families photographed with equal, unflinching attention. Working in New York, she approached her subjects with unusual proximity and familiarity, refusing the detached neutrality conventional to documentary photography. The resulting images carry a psychological intensity that comes from genuine encounter rather than observation. Her work permanently expanded what photography was permitted to look at and how close it could get.

Source: Zwirner · Trust score: 100% · Updated 1mo ago