Diane Arbus (née Nemerov; March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer. Arbus's imagery helped to normalize marginalized groups and highlight the importance of proper representation of all people. She photographed a wide range of subjects including strippers, carnival performers, nudists, people with dwarfism, children, mothers, couples, elderly people, and middle-class families. She photographed her subjects in familiar settings: their homes, on the street, in the workplace, in the park. "She is noted for expanding notions of acceptable subject matter and violates canons of the appropriate distance between photographer and subject. By befriending, not objectifying her subjects, she was able to capture in her work a rare psychological intensity." In his 2003 New York Times Magazine article, "Arbus Reconsidered," Arthur Lubow states, "She was fascinated by people who were visibly creating their own identities—cross-dressers, nudists, sideshow performers, tattooed men, the nouveaux riches, the movie-star fans—and by those who were trapped in a uniform that no longer provided any security or comfort." Michael Kimmelman writes in his review of the exhibition Diane Arbus Revelations, that her work "transformed the art of photography (Arbus is everywhere, for better and worse, in the work of artists today who make photographs)".In her lifetime she achieved some recognition and renown with the publication, beginning in 1960, of photographs in such magazines as Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, London's Sunday Times Magazine, and Artforum. In 1963 the Guggenheim Foundation awarded Arbus a fellowship for her proposal entitled, "American Rites, Manners and Customs". She was awarded a renewal of her fellowship in 1966. John Szarkowski, the director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City from 1962 to 1991, championed her work and included it in his 1967 exhibit New Documents along with the work of Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand. Her photographs were also included in a number of other major group shows.: 86 In 1972, a year after her suicide, Arbus became the first photographer to be included in the Venice Biennale: 51–52 where her photographs were "the overwhelming sensation of the American Pavilion" and "extremely powerful and very strange".The first major retrospective of Arbus' work was held in 1972 at MoMA, organized by Szarkowski. The retrospective garnered the highest attendance of any exhibition in MoMA's history to date. Millions viewed traveling exhibitions of her work from 1972 to 1979. The book accompanying the exhibition, Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph, edited by Doon Arbus and Marvin Israel and first published in 1972 has never been out of print.
Sol turns thousands of years of human wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions into a totally unique personality profile. To get your own profile, check compatibility with friends and much more, download the Sol App today.
Some of their strengths
Diane Arbus has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Optimistic, Creative, Kind, Imaginative, Altruistic, Insightful, and Generous.
Soulful and Understanding
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Diane Arbus is someone who is a soulful, understanding, and conscious person, who combines smarts with a deep talent for creativity and imagination. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Diane Arbus well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Optimistic and Frank
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Diane Arbus as someone who is optimistic, principled, adventurous, and direct.
A person who isn't shy about expressing their opinions, loves competition, loves learning things themself, who is known for being inventive and original, and who loves being surrounded by friends and loved ones.
Justice-seeking and Insightful
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Diane Arbus is someone who tends to be intolerant of unfairness in life, and who has an uncanny ability to reveal the truth in any situation.
They are also someone who is altruistic, tolerant, and sophisticated, and who tends to be a perfectionist who is always working to try and make everything and everyone better.
Creative and Imaginative
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Diane Arbus tends to be someone who is sensitive, imaginative, creative, and somewhat of a dreamer. Who is intuitive and compassionate, and who has a friendly, easygoing, calming and relaxing effect on people and for whom friends and family mean the world.
Some of Diane Arbus's challenges
While Diane Arbus has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Diane Arbus can be Sensitive, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, Impulsive, and Careless.
Indecisive and Unrealistic
One of Diane Arbus's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as indecisive and unrealistic.
Pushy and Restless
Diane Arbus is someone who can be arrogant and bossy, who can have difficulty concentrating and focusing, be unable to separate emotions from business decisions, and who can engage in excessive spending in support of an expensive lifestyle and habits.
Lethargic and Unrealistic
Finally, Diane Arbus also can be too soft, lazy and lethargic, and who can have difficulty finding others who share a similarly dreamy outlook on life.
