Diane Arbus: Magazine Work [Paperback]

Thomas Southall (Author), Diane Arbus (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2005

Photography's most original artist presents the celebrities of her time in a remarkable collection of portraits. This work reveals the growth of an artist who saw no artificial boundary between art and the paying job and who succeeded in putting her indelible stamp on the visual imagination.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[In Diane Arbus: Magazine Work] her works are subtler, finer and more explosive than anything else she did."--Douglas Davis, Photography magazine

About the Author

Diane Arbus, born in 1923, studied with Alexey Brodovitch and Lisette Model. In 1972, the Museum of Modern Art held a major posthumous retrospective of her photographs. At that time, she was a legary and respected figure in the world of photography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Aperture (June 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0893812331
• ISBN-13: 978-0893812331
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to Diane Arbus, April 27, 2005

By 

Danno (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Diane Arbus: Magazine Work (Paperback)

This reasonably priced paperback collects much of Arbus' more accessible photos. These are photographs she took as commissions for such magazines as "Esquire" and "Harper's Bazaar," and most of them date from the early to mid-1960s. Arbus specialized in taking photos of the eccentric and the offbeat, and many of the subjects of the photos reproduced here were truly bizarre characters such as a man who claims to be the sole heir of the Byzantine Empire and a female Bishop who believes that the end is very near. Arbus also photographed the famous (we see Mae West, Jayne Mansfield, Roddy McDowell, Norman Mailer, Tiny Tim, etc), but did her best work photographing the offbeat and wacky rather than the glamourous.

In a sense, Arbus photographed the uncool side of the Sixties. She wasn't afraid to record the tackier side of the decade, or reveal how working-class people really lived during the psychedelic days. Even though the hairstyles and clothing are now terribly dated, Arbus' gritty vision still rings true, and in her portraits we see the combination of absurdity and tragedy that characterizes many of our lives.

As these are photos that were published in mainstream magazines, there's little of the trademark surreal darkness that characterizes Arbus' best work. I don't think many people would find the photos here to be disturbing in the way that her later work (which focused on circus sideshow performers, freaks, and the mentally retarded) touches uncomfortable chords inside the viewer. So, while the reader will probably get the sense that Arbus is "holding back" somewhat, the very accessibility of the imagery presented here will lure many into a deeper examination of Arbus' work. If you've never seen Arbus' photography and would like to know what the fuss is all about, this is a great place to start.

As a side note, I recently saw many of the photos reproduced here in person at an exhibition in New York. The reproductions in this book are excellent.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arbus was also a wonderful writer, April 1, 2003

By 

OilCanBoyd (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diane Arbus: Magazine Work (Paperback)

To really understand what an incredible artist Arbus was, I suggest you check this bad boy out. The photographs are, of coures, brilliant, but her text on the subjects contains some really fantastic writing. the OilCan does not think Arbus, or even Mr. Arbus, get thier due. This woman taught Kubrick how to take pictures, for the love of god. A genuine artistic talent!

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LIKE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS OF KNOWN AND ESPECIALLY THE UNKNOWN PEOPLE, October 27, 2007

By 

John Boland "John Boland" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diane Arbus: Magazine Work (Paperback)

Many of the photos in this book look, at first glance, like "family snapshots". "Oh, I could have taken those photos myself", you might say to yourself. But, what I love about this compilation is that there is a combination of "known" and "unknown" people...and she treats them ALL THE SAME! And, she puts in their "cluttered background" which is a way of informing you about the life of that person. And, there are written "stories" by Diane Arbus about that person. You feel as though you "know" the person a a result of the efforts and art of Diane Arbus. Thus she has "immortalized" the people...the famous and the not so famous. You'll enjoy meeting these people! [e-mail]