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Revelations
Diane Arbus redefined the concerns and the range of the art she practiced. Her bold subject matter and photographic approach have established her preeminence in the world of the visual arts. Her gift for rendering strange those things we consider most familiar, and uncovering the familiar within the exotic, enlarges our understanding of ourselves.
Diane Arbus Revelations affords the first opportunity to explore the origins, scope, and aspirations of what is a wholly original force in photography. Arbus’s frank treatment of her subjects and her faith in the intrinsic power of the medium have produced a body of work that is often shocking in its purity, in its steadfast celebration of things as they are. Presenting many of her lesser-known or previously unpublished photographs in the context of the iconic images reveals a subtle yet persistent view of the world.
The book reproduces two hundred full-page duotones of Diane Arbus photographs spanning her entire career, many of them never before seen. It also includes an essay, “The Question of Belief,” by Sandra S. Phillips, senior curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and “In the Darkroom,” a discussion of Arbus’s printing techniques by Neil Selkirk, the only person authorized to print her photographs since her death. A 104-page Chronology by Elisabeth Sussman, guest curator of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art show, and Doon Arbus, the artist’s eldest daughter, illustrated by more than three- hundred additional images and composed mainly of previously unpublished excerpts from the artist’s letters, notebooks, and other writings, amounts to a kind of autobiography. An Afterword by Doon Arbus precedes biographical entries on the photographer’s friends and colleagues by Jeff L. Rosenheim, associate curator of photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These texts help illuminate the meaning of Diane Arbus’s controversial and astonishing vision.
Diane Arbus Revelations affords the first opportunity to explore the origins, scope, and aspirations of what is a wholly original force in photography. Arbus’s frank treatment of her subjects and her faith in the intrinsic power of the medium have produced a body of work that is often shocking in its purity, in its steadfast celebration of things as they are. Presenting many of her lesser-known or previously unpublished photographs in the context of the iconic images reveals a subtle yet persistent view of the world.
The book reproduces two hundred full-page duotones of Diane Arbus photographs spanning her entire career, many of them never before seen. It also includes an essay, “The Question of Belief,” by Sandra S. Phillips, senior curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and “In the Darkroom,” a discussion of Arbus’s printing techniques by Neil Selkirk, the only person authorized to print her photographs since her death. A 104-page Chronology by Elisabeth Sussman, guest curator of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art show, and Doon Arbus, the artist’s eldest daughter, illustrated by more than three- hundred additional images and composed mainly of previously unpublished excerpts from the artist’s letters, notebooks, and other writings, amounts to a kind of autobiography. An Afterword by Doon Arbus precedes biographical entries on the photographer’s friends and colleagues by Jeff L. Rosenheim, associate curator of photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These texts help illuminate the meaning of Diane Arbus’s controversial and astonishing vision.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
26 people are currently reading
2254 people want to read
About the author
Diane Arbus
46 books176 followersPeople best know portraits of prostitutes, transvestites, persons with physical deformities, and other unconventional subjects of American photographer Diane Arbus.
Diane Arbus noted dwarfs, giants, and ordinary citizens in poses and settings on the fringes of society.
Arbus used 35-mm cameras to create her early work but adopted the Rolleiflex medium format twin-lens reflex before the 1960s. This format provided a square aspect ratio, higher image resolution, and a waist-level viewfinder, not a standard eye, which allowed Arbus to connect in different ways. Arbus also experimented with the use of flashes in daylight, allowing her to highlight and separate from the background.
In July 1971, Arbus ingested a large quantity of barbiturates and then slashed her wrists to commit suicide in Greenwich Village at the age of 48 years.
Diane Arbus noted dwarfs, giants, and ordinary citizens in poses and settings on the fringes of society.
Arbus used 35-mm cameras to create her early work but adopted the Rolleiflex medium format twin-lens reflex before the 1960s. This format provided a square aspect ratio, higher image resolution, and a waist-level viewfinder, not a standard eye, which allowed Arbus to connect in different ways. Arbus also experimented with the use of flashes in daylight, allowing her to highlight and separate from the background.
In July 1971, Arbus ingested a large quantity of barbiturates and then slashed her wrists to commit suicide in Greenwich Village at the age of 48 years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 24, 2012
Even knowing how this book/life will end it was no less a tragedy. One of the quotes that really stuck with me was how so many people work a job and collect a paycheck so their days are not filled with searching for answers to unanswerable questions. The downside of being an artist. I think I'll not try to work today and just watch the birds from my window instead.
December 2, 2014
An exquisite personal author book, an open window to the soul of one of the greatest portrait photographers.
There's a strangeness, an odd approach to her subjects in the way they are photographed. As soon as the shutter clicks, something wonderful happens and is captured.
She knows how to approach the outcasts and freaks of society and give them an identity and an irrevocable place back into the world everyone else belongs. She enters their world and brings them out into ours.
Even her self-portraits are so beautifully done and make you wonder for ages, because she loves metaphores and hopes you understand what's behind her eyes and her pose.
A wonderful artist.
There's a strangeness, an odd approach to her subjects in the way they are photographed. As soon as the shutter clicks, something wonderful happens and is captured.
She knows how to approach the outcasts and freaks of society and give them an identity and an irrevocable place back into the world everyone else belongs. She enters their world and brings them out into ours.
Even her self-portraits are so beautifully done and make you wonder for ages, because she loves metaphores and hopes you understand what's behind her eyes and her pose.
A wonderful artist.
Want to read
December 1, 2018
June 5, 2022
Quite simply put - a revelation.
February 4, 2022
ერთი მხრივ მართალი უთქვამს ზონტაგს
ნამდვილად მდიდარი გათამამებული გოგონა იყო
მაგრამ მისი მცდელობა გაქცეოდა ლამაზ ქურქებს დასაფასებელია
ნამდვილად მდიდარი გათამამებული გოგონა იყო
მაგრამ მისი მცდელობა გაქცეოდა ლამაზ ქურქებს დასაფასებელია
January 14, 2023
Among the many revelations here is that Diane Arbus was an excellent writer.
May 16, 2023
Very detailed overview of Diane Arbus‘ life and work. Found it very interesting.
July 22, 2016
Diane Arbus: Revelations is one of the most lovingly designed monographs I've seen. Its reproductions are uniformly excellent and faithfully reproduce the warm tones of the original Portriga Rapid prints. Unfortunately, the book designer is nowhere credited in the volume, though I did search.
Any large format "art book" that reproduces the photographer's contact sheets and provides technical information is to be commended. When photographers peruse monographs, they are looking not only for inspiration but also for insight into the means the photographer used to create his/her individual style. This book provides that. There are detailed discussions of the cameras with which Arbus worked as well as the differences the use of these cameras made in the final images. There is also a detailed essay by Neil Selkirk on the methods and materials Arbus used in the darkroom that is unusually informative. Arbus' technique was somewhat idiosyncratic (e.g., no dodging or burning) and allowed her to make prints that were immediately recognizable as her own and that complemented her shooting style very well.
It is only in the "Chronology" section that the book's design fails. The layout here makes the biographical content difficult to read, and the tiny reproductions of an arbitrary assortment of images become increasingly annoying. I suggest readers skip this section and instead purchase the biography by Patricia Bosworth. Although the biography is unauthorized and its reliability has been questioned, it contains details of Arbus' personal life that are essential to understanding her development as an artist and are not to be found in the thoroughly sanitized "Chronology."
Any large format "art book" that reproduces the photographer's contact sheets and provides technical information is to be commended. When photographers peruse monographs, they are looking not only for inspiration but also for insight into the means the photographer used to create his/her individual style. This book provides that. There are detailed discussions of the cameras with which Arbus worked as well as the differences the use of these cameras made in the final images. There is also a detailed essay by Neil Selkirk on the methods and materials Arbus used in the darkroom that is unusually informative. Arbus' technique was somewhat idiosyncratic (e.g., no dodging or burning) and allowed her to make prints that were immediately recognizable as her own and that complemented her shooting style very well.
It is only in the "Chronology" section that the book's design fails. The layout here makes the biographical content difficult to read, and the tiny reproductions of an arbitrary assortment of images become increasingly annoying. I suggest readers skip this section and instead purchase the biography by Patricia Bosworth. Although the biography is unauthorized and its reliability has been questioned, it contains details of Arbus' personal life that are essential to understanding her development as an artist and are not to be found in the thoroughly sanitized "Chronology."
September 12, 2022
This is an incredible collection of her works over the decades, that Arbus was mainly active. This is not a biography of Diane Arbus, but it is a significant account of her work. Anyone who has been educated formally in photography, or art of photography, will know that Diane Arbus is mainly a portraitist whose work is well documented. Diane Arbus stands with other female photographers that everyone who follows this genre of art, should seek to learn from. She photographed the strangely beautiful, in much the same way that Magnum photographer, Bruce Gilden perceives his idea of beauty, so too, Arbus sought to document the 'other' from a differing perspective. Diane Arbus Her work covered those who would not look out of place in a circus. However, the background to her subjects is not from entertainment but from a close-up and personal but dignified manner in which she documents the strange and the extraordinary lives of people, who have become iconic in the world of photography.
Those who are familiar with her work, will no doubt recall a plethora of characters, dwarfs, twins, transvestites, and the more macabre. The breadth of her work knows true intimacy, that signify that her photographs are truly representative of a masterpiece of photo-documentary. Bearing in mind that Diane Arbus was relatively considered a legend in her field, it is incredible to think, her counterpart in the guise of Vivian Maier was yet to be discovered. Who knows how many female photographers are out there, just waiting to do the same.
Those who are familiar with her work, will no doubt recall a plethora of characters, dwarfs, twins, transvestites, and the more macabre. The breadth of her work knows true intimacy, that signify that her photographs are truly representative of a masterpiece of photo-documentary. Bearing in mind that Diane Arbus was relatively considered a legend in her field, it is incredible to think, her counterpart in the guise of Vivian Maier was yet to be discovered. Who knows how many female photographers are out there, just waiting to do the same.
February 13, 2025
Revelations is as spectacular a read as it is a spectacular collection of spectacular photographs by one of the most important photographers in the still (relatively) young history of the medium.
I was deeply affected by Diane Arbus as an artist and as a person and went in knowing so little about her that the end of the Chronology section knocked me on my heels. I connected with this book, and with her, on a surprisingly deep level.
"There are and have been and will be an infinite number of things on earth. Individuals all different, all wanting different things, all knowing different things, all loving different things, all looking different.
"Everything that has been on earth has been different from any other thing.
"That is what I love: the differentness, the uniqueness of all things and the importance of life… I see something that seems wonderful; I see the divineness in ordinary things."
—NOVEMBER 28, 1939, PAPER ON PLATO, SENIOR ENGLISH SEMINAR, FIELDSTON SCHOOL
Diane Arbus Revelations (2003)
Her approach to her art also inspired this post:
https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com...
I was deeply affected by Diane Arbus as an artist and as a person and went in knowing so little about her that the end of the Chronology section knocked me on my heels. I connected with this book, and with her, on a surprisingly deep level.
"There are and have been and will be an infinite number of things on earth. Individuals all different, all wanting different things, all knowing different things, all loving different things, all looking different.
"Everything that has been on earth has been different from any other thing.
"That is what I love: the differentness, the uniqueness of all things and the importance of life… I see something that seems wonderful; I see the divineness in ordinary things."
—NOVEMBER 28, 1939, PAPER ON PLATO, SENIOR ENGLISH SEMINAR, FIELDSTON SCHOOL
Diane Arbus Revelations (2003)
Her approach to her art also inspired this post:
https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com...
January 8, 2019
This is a very thorough book. There's a detailed timeline of events in her life and career. There are many good quotes as well. There are contact sheets, some from some of her more famous prints too, and I loved these. It's fascinating to see the pictures she didn't choose and how many shots she took around getting the shot she wanted. There were several small pictures that I wish they had done larger and sometimes the pictures on the side didn't have much information with them and were unrelated to the text next to them. That made it feel al little unorganized. But overall, it was worth skimming through and checking out her gorgeous prints.
May 9, 2020
“Nothing is ever alike. The best thing is the difference”
What makes this large format book so great is that it sticks to the facts...direct passages from Arbus’s journals and correspondence combined with high quality prints of her photographs—period. No interpretation, speculation, etc..
Her words and images stand stunningly on their own.
What makes this large format book so great is that it sticks to the facts...direct passages from Arbus’s journals and correspondence combined with high quality prints of her photographs—period. No interpretation, speculation, etc..
Her words and images stand stunningly on their own.
November 30, 2022
I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know of Diane Arbus but this is a beautiful and comprehensive introduction for me to her work. I’m bowled over by her talent, skill, artistry and thoughtful intelligence, in particular on difference.
September 4, 2017
An in depth glimpse into the life's journey and technique of one of the greatest photographers to have ever lived.
June 16, 2018
The images are naturally spectacular but it’s the words that makes this an even more unmissable book. So much humanity.
May 29, 2019
Comprehensive.
Want to read
June 9, 2020Nice book.
December 12, 2022
Brimming with beauty!
September 25, 2011
This is the most informative, thorough, and exquisite book on the life and work of Diane Arbus to date. The book is massive, and is an authority on the history of the photographer and her body of work. Featured in the book are the large scale prints everyone knows and loves, but there are also other images that are relatively rare, difficult to find on even the internet. Also included are high resolution images of Arbus's personal journal, contact sheets, negatives, postcards, filmstrips, and other materials. Most usefully, a very in depth timeline of her career is included, complete with details from her personal life as well as professional development. Arbus was not only one of the greatest and most prolific photographers, but also one of the most skilled darkroom printers in the field.
This is a captivating, important, and mesmerizing book.
This is a captivating, important, and mesmerizing book.
August 27, 2016
This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition that traveled throughout the US and Europe between 2004 and 2006. Having seen the exhibition in LA, I finally got around to reading the book. Besides reliving the exhibit - by reviewing Diane's incredible photographs in the book - there is also considerable text in this book.
There is a chronology of her life that is very revealing in regards to her state of mind. I found it fascinating, revealing, and a little disturbing. But it certainly puts her photographs in perspective.
If you are a photographer or just love photography, you should read this book.
There is a chronology of her life that is very revealing in regards to her state of mind. I found it fascinating, revealing, and a little disturbing. But it certainly puts her photographs in perspective.
If you are a photographer or just love photography, you should read this book.
January 25, 2012
I'm not exactly sure how to review this. I picked it up because I saw the movie 'Fur', and I really enjoyed it, and I wanted to see what Arbus' work was like. The middle third of the book is biography and I wasn't as interested in that (but it's there and it's detailed).
Unfortunately, I am not well educated in photography, so I can't adequately describe her work, but I enjoyed it; she had a gift for capturing the strange and slightly off-kilter world around us that most people never see or choose to ignore.
Unfortunately, I am not well educated in photography, so I can't adequately describe her work, but I enjoyed it; she had a gift for capturing the strange and slightly off-kilter world around us that most people never see or choose to ignore.
August 7, 2007
I saw the Diane Arbus exhibit 3 times, first to view the photographs then to read the writing. I couldn't believe how amazing her writings were! I was torn between attempting to do both at first then decided to keep coming back. What a rare and beautiful soul to have a glimpse at. And she would have been a rad punk lyricist!
October 4, 2007
I own this book because I could not get enough of the Diane Arbus exhibits in NYC. This is a solid overview of the artist which includes photographs and her biography. Most interesting is being able to view and read the handwritten excerpts from her diary, to-do lists, and random scribblings which reflect her creative process.
June 15, 2008
I have lusted over this book for years and now it's in my hands. Arbus was an amazing photographer in love with the underbelly of American culture.
"It would be beautiful to photograph the winners of everything from Nobel to booby prize, clutching trophy, or money or certificate, solemn or smiling or tear stained or bloody, on the precarious pinnacle of the human landscape."
"It would be beautiful to photograph the winners of everything from Nobel to booby prize, clutching trophy, or money or certificate, solemn or smiling or tear stained or bloody, on the precarious pinnacle of the human landscape."
December 29, 2010
This is a very in-depth biography about the life of Diane Arbus. It is extremely personal. Letters that she wrote, personal photos from childhood, diary pages, & personal thoughts & dreams are all reprinted in this book. Here photography work is all throughout the book. A very informative & gorgeous book. A must read!
January 31, 2017
Viendo el trabajo de Diane Arbus decidí hace bastantes años que quería dedicarme a la fotografía. Diane Arbus: Revelations es bajo mi punto de vista el mejor análisis realizado sobre la autora. Verdaderamente interesante, es indispensable su lectura para todo aquel que quiera profundizar en Diane Arbus, su trabajo, sus motivaciones, su vida, su pensamiento....
August 27, 2016
This catalogue is packed with photographs by Arbus and a painstaking chronology. Arbus was driven to take photographs and find ways to sustain herself by photography. She seemed to know many people including her fellow photographers, curators and other museum people, magazine people, and possible grantors. It was also obvious that she had many long-term friendships among her subjects.
June 14, 2007
did i mention how cool i am. You are impressed, right?
July 16, 2007
When this exhibit came to LACMA, I took nearly everyone I knew to see it. I must have gone eight or nine times myself. It was amazing and wonderful.
August 5, 2007
I couldn't afford this book, but went to go see the show several times in L.A.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews