Diane Arbus
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- Create Date：2021-04-21 14:58:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Patricia Bosworth
- ISBN：0099470365
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Summary
Diane Arbus's startling photographic images of dwarfs， twins， transvestites， and freaks seemed from the first to redefine both the normal and the abnormal in our lives; they were already becoming part of the iconography of the age when Arbus committed suicide in 1971。 Arbus herself remained an enigma until the publication of this first full biography。 Patricia Bosworth examines the life behind the eerie， mesmerizing photographs: Diane's pampered childhood; her passionate marriage to Allan Arbus and their work together as fashion photographers during the fifties; the emotional upheaval surrounding the end of that marriage; and the radically dark， liberating， and ultimately tragic turn Diane's art took during the sixties。 Bosworth's engrossing book is a compassionate portrait of the woman behind some of the most powerful photographs of our time。
Reviews
Jennifer
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Diane Arbus biography is a well-written look at the artistThis was a detailed， information biography。 I thoroughly enjoyed it。 The writing style is accessible， clear， and highlights the life being told。
Geraldine Dorgan
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A superb biography of one of the world's greatest female photographers。 Diane was 'The wizard of oddities'。 As she said herself ' I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them。'。 I really enjoyed this book， the stories and souls behind each photograph， each muse， each teacher， each photographer that inspired Diane， the constant search for the right portrait， the next project， how she captured the perverse， the flaws the true characters of her subjects。 A superb biography of one of the world's greatest female photographers。 Diane was 'The wizard of oddities'。 As she said herself ' I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them。'。 I really enjoyed this book， the stories and souls behind each photograph， each muse， each teacher， each photographer that inspired Diane， the constant search for the right portrait， the next project， how she captured the perverse， the flaws the true characters of her subjects。 。。。more
Greta
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I really enjoyed this book。 An interesting character study of an artist。 Clearly， Diane Arbus was a very disturbed person。 I personally feel that she is over rated as an artist。 Interesting points 1）There is a lot in book to think about in regards to male dominance in the art world during her time。。。 for ex。 I cringed at too many moments where Diane of ehr own accord takes her photos to contemporary male artists to look over as they mark them up with grease pencils and advise her on what to do w I really enjoyed this book。 An interesting character study of an artist。 Clearly， Diane Arbus was a very disturbed person。 I personally feel that she is over rated as an artist。 Interesting points 1）There is a lot in book to think about in regards to male dominance in the art world during her time。。。 for ex。 I cringed at too many moments where Diane of ehr own accord takes her photos to contemporary male artists to look over as they mark them up with grease pencils and advise her on what to do with her work。。。arggh。 2） Diane used her camera like a weapon at times。 I placed this book on my psychology shelf also because there is so much to ponder here in regards to her psychology and her art。 Narcissism， passive aggressive behavior， depression， master manipulator all were interesting to see how they manifested in her life and artwork。 3） you can gain a sense of some of problems that wealth can create Downsides to this book: 1） an very annoying pattern of people putting Diane on a pedestal。。。 this however fits her modus operendi as a manipulative person 2） author gives Diane a pass on many disturbing behaviors 3） author clearly on deck with philosophy of "freaks" as she talks about "retardates" and the like。 4） Diane is clearly user that suctions like an octopus off others difficulties。。。。。。there are scenes where she literally chases and follows 。。。more
Cheryl Lucero
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I wanted to read insight into why and how she took the photos she did。 I wanted to admire her or love her or relate to her or just know her in some way。 But it wasn't like that。 Over all I felt this book was depressing and disappointing。 But maybe that's more of a reflection of Diane than Patricia。 I wanted to read insight into why and how she took the photos she did。 I wanted to admire her or love her or relate to her or just know her in some way。 But it wasn't like that。 Over all I felt this book was depressing and disappointing。 But maybe that's more of a reflection of Diane than Patricia。 。。。more
Amy
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Got a good sense of Diane， her circles and the era in general。 A nice snapshot of the burdens and difficulties of growing up super rich， as well as the workings & pathologies of Diane & the art world。 Personally， I found Diane to be a very mentally disturbed person that lacked basic compassion or empathy for people。 I do think she was a talented photographer。 The way she operated in the world and with people is quite disturbing。 Her descent is not surprising。 The author clearly is fan， giving Di Got a good sense of Diane， her circles and the era in general。 A nice snapshot of the burdens and difficulties of growing up super rich， as well as the workings & pathologies of Diane & the art world。 Personally， I found Diane to be a very mentally disturbed person that lacked basic compassion or empathy for people。 I do think she was a talented photographer。 The way she operated in the world and with people is quite disturbing。 Her descent is not surprising。 The author clearly is fan， giving Diane the special snowflake treatment throughout the book。 She and Daine's circle， revel in Diane's more abhorrent behaviors， and the author calls people "freaks" and "retardates" over and over again; as well nastily describing fat ladies "waddling" in shockingly brutal， insensitive ways。 It's no surprise she's a fan of Diane Arbus。 2 peas in a pod。People end up damaged in life， and messed up。 So went Diane。 I do feel sorry for her and her story is so fascinating， as well as tragic。 How her problems manifested in her art through her approach， subject， and philosophy is especially fascinating。 I do like many of her pictures， and appreciate her being a woman artist。 But I don't like or agree with how sometimes treated her subjects， got her shots， or what she thought of her subjects。 The author includes many other interesting people， workings of the art world， family， social， and cultural life of the eras that are equally fascinating。 I would highly recommend the book， especially of you like photography and women artists。 。。。more
Rudy Seifert
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Learning the details does little to lift the sense of tragedy that the legend shows。
Martyna
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Bosworth on every page of this biography proves the rightness of calling Arbus a real artist and a great photographer。 Facts from Arbus's life show two completely different faces of the artist。 On the one hand， Bosworth presents Diane as a shy， delicate， somewhat lost girl， on the other hand， she shows her as a very curious， sometimes even insolent person， with a lush erotic life。All I missed was some photographies， although several of those were described。 Of course， they can be found on the In Bosworth on every page of this biography proves the rightness of calling Arbus a real artist and a great photographer。 Facts from Arbus's life show two completely different faces of the artist。 On the one hand， Bosworth presents Diane as a shy， delicate， somewhat lost girl， on the other hand， she shows her as a very curious， sometimes even insolent person， with a lush erotic life。All I missed was some photographies， although several of those were described。 Of course， they can be found on the Internet， but when you read a book， the computer is usually far away。 You have to use your imagination， which is known to be unreliable。 。。。more
Julia Griffin
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An interesting and seemingly clear-eyed biography of a seminal modern photographer。 This book is full of information about photography as an art form， the history of modern American photography， as well as a delve into the troubled life of Arbus。Read it slowly and thoroughly （it was my companion for almost three months on the john）， enjoyed it very much。 The ending， while I was prepared for it， was still totally heartbreaking。 Knowing her life and the people around her made her death feel like a An interesting and seemingly clear-eyed biography of a seminal modern photographer。 This book is full of information about photography as an art form， the history of modern American photography， as well as a delve into the troubled life of Arbus。Read it slowly and thoroughly （it was my companion for almost three months on the john）， enjoyed it very much。 The ending， while I was prepared for it， was still totally heartbreaking。 Knowing her life and the people around her made her death feel like an even bigger tragedy。 A lot about the history of being a female artists and a woman in a shifting century， pulled both ways by opposing values。 Would recommend。 。。。more
Carmen
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I saw her 1972 show at MOMA in New York and had to buy a copy of "DIANE ARBUS: An Aperture Monograph" with the precious few dollars that I had before leaving， but up until now I really knew nothing about her life。 Like many bios it was a bit slow going at first reading about her grandparents and such。 I felt the same about her parents and childhood， but I realized later just how important that info was is in trying to understand her。 The author sometimes back tracks which makes the chronology a I saw her 1972 show at MOMA in New York and had to buy a copy of "DIANE ARBUS: An Aperture Monograph" with the precious few dollars that I had before leaving， but up until now I really knew nothing about her life。 Like many bios it was a bit slow going at first reading about her grandparents and such。 I felt the same about her parents and childhood， but I realized later just how important that info was is in trying to understand her。 The author sometimes back tracks which makes the chronology a bit confusing at time。 But overall iy was well researched and written。 。。。more
Barbara Claypoole
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To be visionary and conflicted in the midst of change is a lonely place。 。。。"I was born way up the ladder of middle-class respectability and I've been clamboring down as fast as I could ever since。" （p。 303）' To be visionary and conflicted in the midst of change is a lonely place。 。。。"I was born way up the ladder of middle-class respectability and I've been clamboring down as fast as I could ever since。" （p。 303）' 。。。more
Dominik Scigalski
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Exceptional inspiration for photography enthusiasts and humanists。
Suvi
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The curse of having too many interests: no patience to focus on one of them at a time。 I would love to read biographies more， but there are too many interesting books and movies！ I finally got back to them， but it was a conflicting experience。What I love about biographies is the fact that the good ones are well researched and objective。 Memoirs leave room for the person to twist events in their favor or leave uncomfortable things out。The problem with trying to write about Diane Arbus specificall The curse of having too many interests: no patience to focus on one of them at a time。 I would love to read biographies more， but there are too many interesting books and movies！ I finally got back to them， but it was a conflicting experience。What I love about biographies is the fact that the good ones are well researched and objective。 Memoirs leave room for the person to twist events in their favor or leave uncomfortable things out。The problem with trying to write about Diane Arbus specifically， though， is that she was very private。 Patricia Bosworth's attempts to decipher her personality and motives seemed a tad useless， especially when she claimed to know what Arbus was thinking at a given time （no sources） or repeated people's perceptions of her。 The latter isn't that bad when done sparingly， but when the author and her sources are all trying to probe her personality。。。 Made me a little uncomfortable。 If someone wants to live behind a curtain， let them。Overall， though， this might just be the best we can get about Arbus。 She may have failed at becoming a wholesome 1950s housewife like she originally tried to be， but she was an incredibly talented photographer， who didn't seem to believe in herself all that much。 Her burning desire to create and follow her passion is something we can all learn from。 She poured her intensity and power into her photos。 All her photos。 She never wanted to be just a "freak" photographer。 She sadly didn't see a way out of her depression and decided to cut her life short， but no one should be judged for that。 She of all people was incredibly brave during her entire life。 。。。more
Marta Jochym
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Honest， powerful and moving。
Karla
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I didn't finish but I expect to pick it up again。 It's dense and packed with fascinating details about a very adventurous and unique portrait photographer。 Many people know her work without knowing they know her work。 She's in my top five！ But， the tone can be a bit dry and the pace a little too laborious for such an exciting subject。 Worth reading if you are interested in Diane Arbus or photography or oddities or finding exceptional beauty in overlooked populations with a camera as your window I didn't finish but I expect to pick it up again。 It's dense and packed with fascinating details about a very adventurous and unique portrait photographer。 Many people know her work without knowing they know her work。 She's in my top five！ But， the tone can be a bit dry and the pace a little too laborious for such an exciting subject。 Worth reading if you are interested in Diane Arbus or photography or oddities or finding exceptional beauty in overlooked populations with a camera as your window into their world。 I'd suggest picking up a book of her photos first as she communicates expertly without the need of all those words。 Truly an original。 。。。more
Christopher
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Diane Arbus was a great photographer。 She had the ability to take photos that looked into the souls of her subjects。 Her subjects were often on the fringe of society and were referred to as freaks， but that never caused her to turn away。 If you are unfamiliar with her works or her life this book gives you good insight。 If you are already a fan of hers you will find this book lacking on information concerning her family life。 Although it is very readable it lacks information。
Linda
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I loved the story of how her family came to this country and succeeded in creating a dept。 store。 They lived in some famous buildings in NYC and she had a relatively good life as a child。 Parental involvement does not play much of a role and there is little known about her relationship with her mother。 She and her brother were very close until she married in her late teens。She is always searching for something， which is very true of this period 1950-1960's NYC。 Once she and her husband not longe I loved the story of how her family came to this country and succeeded in creating a dept。 store。 They lived in some famous buildings in NYC and she had a relatively good life as a child。 Parental involvement does not play much of a role and there is little known about her relationship with her mother。 She and her brother were very close until she married in her late teens。She is always searching for something， which is very true of this period 1950-1960's NYC。 Once she and her husband not longer have the symbiotic relationship she was comfortable in， her turmoil begins。 She tries to find herself in various ways， always through photography。 She is willing to try anything and is really daring for a woman， even in the 1960's。 It is apparent she is emotionally distraught and suffers depression。 It is unfortunate that at that time， depression wasn't in the forefront of the news as it is today。 She felt very alone and her life， even though seeming successful， did not bring her any sense of joy or fulfillment。 。。。more
Carrissa Villalobos
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Interesting and sad。 Learning about her parents and how aristocracy in New York families worked during that time， stands out in memory （I read this book a couple of years ago）。Overall fascinated with photographers and artists。 She is worth reading about， as all tortured souls are。
Susan
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A lifelessly written account of a true capital L life。
Chloe Noland
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Thoughtful， detailed， extremely poignant and loving biography of one of my favorite artists。 I have always been fascinated and moved by her photography， but I was surprised to find Arbus so relatable， in terms of her struggle between the power of her inner world and outside reality。 It was really heartbreaking to realize that this inability to negotiate with her demons is what ultimately caused her death。 I really appreciated the author's insights into her childhood， her relationships， and adult Thoughtful， detailed， extremely poignant and loving biography of one of my favorite artists。 I have always been fascinated and moved by her photography， but I was surprised to find Arbus so relatable， in terms of her struggle between the power of her inner world and outside reality。 It was really heartbreaking to realize that this inability to negotiate with her demons is what ultimately caused her death。 I really appreciated the author's insights into her childhood， her relationships， and adult conceptions of the world。 I feel I will now use this context to view her portraiture in a more thorough way， not just to be shocked by the perversity of the images。 It speaks to the time period she lived in that Arbus was devastated to be seen as merely a photographer of "freaks。" This was a cheapening and pigeon-holing of what she was trying to accomplish as an artist， and I think her work would've been viewed very differently today -- for better or worse， who's to say。 。。。more
Sima
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Highly recommend。 Beautiful person， lots to learn about her and how she sees the world
Magdalena
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Diane （Dee-Ann） Arbus was an American photographer （with a Jewish-Polish ancestry） from NYC。 Her most famous photograph is of the TWINS which inspired Stanley Kubricks' "twin characters" in The Shining！ He was originally a photographer which is why he was exposed （pun！） to her photographs in the first place。A surprising photograph she took was of the anchor Anderson Cooper as a baby！ If you didn't know he comes from a wealthy family "The Vanderbilts" and so his mom， Gloria Vanderbilt， commission Diane （Dee-Ann） Arbus was an American photographer （with a Jewish-Polish ancestry） from NYC。 Her most famous photograph is of the TWINS which inspired Stanley Kubricks' "twin characters" in The Shining！ He was originally a photographer which is why he was exposed （pun！） to her photographs in the first place。A surprising photograph she took was of the anchor Anderson Cooper as a baby！ If you didn't know he comes from a wealthy family "The Vanderbilts" and so his mom， Gloria Vanderbilt， commissioned Arbus to photograph her baby。Arbus grew up on Central Park West in a well to do family being cared for by nannies。 Her father made a fortune selling furs in the 1920's。 Her life story is about climbing down the social ladder。 Interestingly she hated being associated as a "rich kid。"She died young （at 48 in 1971） because she committed suicide at a time in her life when she felt she could no longer achieve the photographs she'd envisioned， suffered depression， was divorced and her kids had grown up and left home。 。。。more
Sharon Barrow Wilfong
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This was a briefer biography than Arthur Lubow's by about two hundred pages。 While Bosworth did not shy away from Arbus' deviant sexual proclivities， she avoided that salacious detail Lubow enjoyed indulging in， which may account for the shorter version。Also， this biography was written in 1984 and without the cooperation of Arbus' husband， lover Marvin Israel or her daughters， Amy and Doon， which could also explain a greater lack of detail than Lubow's book。 Her brother， Howard， mother， Gertrude This was a briefer biography than Arthur Lubow's by about two hundred pages。 While Bosworth did not shy away from Arbus' deviant sexual proclivities， she avoided that salacious detail Lubow enjoyed indulging in， which may account for the shorter version。Also， this biography was written in 1984 and without the cooperation of Arbus' husband， lover Marvin Israel or her daughters， Amy and Doon， which could also explain a greater lack of detail than Lubow's book。 Her brother， Howard， mother， Gertrude， and some of Diane's close friends， and about two hundred others did contribute。 Having read Lubow's book， I see where he used Bosworth's biography as a resource。It is also interesting to see how much time has changed things。 Many of the important or remarkable people Bosworth includes in her biography as reference points are unknown now。 One， Richard Avedon， is still known， if for no other reason that a biography has just come out on his own life。 The others you'll be lucky to find a Wikipedia bio。Arbus was a sad， tragic figure。 She grew up in a rich， privileged home on Park Avenue with nannies and servants。 Her parents were self-made businessmen whose families escaped the Jewish pogroms of Europe and created wealth through the fur coat business。The only thing her parents did not provide her or her brother and sister with was love， affection and attention。 Gertrude Nemerov， Diane's mother， was self-absorbed and suffered from acute depression。 David， her father， played mind games with his children。 When he was angry with them he completely withdrew until he chose to "forgive" them。Diane， according to her own accounts was already showing signs of emotional disturbance at a young age。 In fact she sounds like she may have suffered from Radical Attachment Disorder， something children from neglected households can develop。Whatever the reasons， Diane's heart gravitated toward the deviant and marginalized in society， "freaks" as she called them。Her photographs focus on circus entertainers， midgets， giants， deformed people as well as the grungier streets of New York City。 A large part of her repertoire include transvestites， lesbians， and drug addicts。Arbus said that everyone has a secret and she wanted to pull that secret out of them with her camera。She was largely unrecognized during her life time。 Many found her photos to be repulsive。 Since her death in 1971 she has been considered one of the defining photographers of the sixties。 。。。more
Regina Stevens
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A fascinating roller coaster ride of obsessive personal relationships， and continual self discovery。 Patricia Bosworth neatly outlines the influences of Diane’s early years and ties to her family as her life story unfolds。 The New York art world is a key player in the story including the artists and contemporaries who were socially and artistically relevant to her life and work。 I found it useful to have a search engine handy to help illustrate the many historical references and images。 I was m A fascinating roller coaster ride of obsessive personal relationships， and continual self discovery。 Patricia Bosworth neatly outlines the influences of Diane’s early years and ties to her family as her life story unfolds。 The New York art world is a key player in the story including the artists and contemporaries who were socially and artistically relevant to her life and work。 I found it useful to have a search engine handy to help illustrate the many historical references and images。 I was moved by the scope of Diane Arbus' ambition and talent， her overwhelming drive to delve deep into her soul to find her voice and then to continue to live with those demons once they were released。 Sadly Diane struggled up until the end with her depressions， raw emotions toward public opinion， and wavering self confidence。 。。。more
Katie Jo
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I have never read a bio as engrossing as this。 It reads like a novel and Diane Arbus is so bizarre and interesting that even the most trivial aspects of her life kept my attention。 Apparently the movie Fur （one of my long time favorites） is based on this particular biography， but after reading it I see little connection， even knowing that the movie was intentionally very loosely referenced。 Diane was a really fascinating person， and to be so famously mysterious a person I was impressed by how re I have never read a bio as engrossing as this。 It reads like a novel and Diane Arbus is so bizarre and interesting that even the most trivial aspects of her life kept my attention。 Apparently the movie Fur （one of my long time favorites） is based on this particular biography， but after reading it I see little connection， even knowing that the movie was intentionally very loosely referenced。 Diane was a really fascinating person， and to be so famously mysterious a person I was impressed by how remarkably intimate Bosworth's portrait of her felt- she really did her homework。 I typically have a hard time reading biographies （I prefer a first-person narrative） but I truly enjoyed this as much as I would a novel。 The only bio I've read that rivals its readability is Alex Haley's of Malcolm X。 Would absolutely recommend。 。。。more
Fiona
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3。5
Juan Carlos Pascual
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Soy un enamorado de la figura de Diane Arbus， y más aún desde que leí su biografía。Su alma atormentada， su voz que encandila， su manera de cruzar los límites autoimpuestos。。。Hay una anécdota en el libro que desvela totalmente lo que fue Diane: En su funeral estaban Richard Avedon y Frederick Eberstadt， dos amigos suyos。 En un momento dado， Avedon murmuró: "¡Cómo me gustaría ser un artista como Diane！"。 Eberstadt le contestó: "No， no te gustaría"。 Soy un enamorado de la figura de Diane Arbus， y más aún desde que leí su biografía。Su alma atormentada， su voz que encandila， su manera de cruzar los límites autoimpuestos。。。Hay una anécdota en el libro que desvela totalmente lo que fue Diane: En su funeral estaban Richard Avedon y Frederick Eberstadt， dos amigos suyos。 En un momento dado， Avedon murmuró: "¡Cómo me gustaría ser un artista como Diane！"。 Eberstadt le contestó: "No， no te gustaría"。 。。。more
Rebecca Wilkins
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I was cleaning out the garage and found this in my daughter's box of books。 I had never heard of Arbus before。 Not exactly my kind of "art。" I was cleaning out the garage and found this in my daughter's box of books。 I had never heard of Arbus before。 Not exactly my kind of "art。" 。。。more
Rachel
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A few quotes from the book that for me， exemplify why Arbus is so interesting:“I was often frightened by her capacity to be enthralled，” her daughter Doon has written， “by her power to give herself over to something or to someone， to submit。 But it was the very thing that made her photographs possible。”On why she photographed freaks:"Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience。 Freaks were born with their trauma。 They’ve passed their test in life。 They’re aristocrats A few quotes from the book that for me， exemplify why Arbus is so interesting:“I was often frightened by her capacity to be enthralled，” her daughter Doon has written， “by her power to give herself over to something or to someone， to submit。 But it was the very thing that made her photographs possible。”On why she photographed freaks:"Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience。 Freaks were born with their trauma。 They’ve passed their test in life。 They’re aristocrats。”On why she takes photos:"I think I take photographs because there are things that nobody would see unless I photographed them。" 。。。more
Jen
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Fascinating life
Kelly
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This was a large book to get through。 It talked a lot about her friends and acquaintances and how they saw Diane， I found some of it interesting but some of it boring。 Spoilers （although if you are reading this， you know how it ends）， her suicide came and that was it。 I'm not sure if it was because no one had anything about Diane to say or her friends were all dead by the time this book was written or no longer wanted to talk about her but it just felt unfinished。 This was an okay book。 If you a This was a large book to get through。 It talked a lot about her friends and acquaintances and how they saw Diane， I found some of it interesting but some of it boring。 Spoilers （although if you are reading this， you know how it ends）， her suicide came and that was it。 I'm not sure if it was because no one had anything about Diane to say or her friends were all dead by the time this book was written or no longer wanted to talk about her but it just felt unfinished。 This was an okay book。 If you are really interested in her life from the view point of her friends and their interactions， this might interest you。 If you want something deeper， I'd skip out and read her autobiography （which I haven't read yet） or the other biography about her。 I'm sad that her children didn't allow any of her prints to be included in this book， it would have been helpful to know what the images the author talked about actually looked like rather than having to go on the internet to find them。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Diane Arbus
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Diane Arbus&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Diane Arbus&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0