Diane Arbus (1923 – 1971) is an American photographer, that photographed the oppressed and marginalized society living in New-York. She shot striptease dancers, women that brought up children by themselves, children growing up in poverty, elderly people and middle-class families.
Diane Arbus was born in 1923 in Manhattan to a Jewish family. Her parents were wealthy immigrants from the Soviet Union who owned a department store on Fifth Avenue. At the age of 18, Diane married her childhood friend, Alan Arbus, who gave her the first camera and helped her study photography. During her career, Diane wasn’t very successful. The artist’s works didn’t sell well, and she often had to work on undesirable, commercial projects to support herself. The artist was also depressed, which eventually lead to her committing suicide at the age of 48.
Diane Arbus tried to not only photograph the marginalized groups, but also to show people where they leave, where they work, what the streets around them look like. Her photos were printed in such magazines as Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Sunday Times Magazines and Artforum. Diane Arbus is the first photographer whose works made it to the Bienalle in Venezia. Her private exhibition that was held after her suicide is considered to be the most attended by MoMA in the history.
Here are some of her works:
