Diane Arbus revelations

[clogz]

Pictures by Arbus some of them previously unpublished can be seen in San Francisco (SF Museum of Modern Art) till 8th January 2004.
After that the exhibition will move to LA, Houston, New York, Essen (Germany, 17th June - 18th September 2005, Folkwang Museum) and London (Victoria & Albert Museum 13th October 2005 - 15th January 2006)

A must see in my humble opinion.

 

[Jeremy]

has anyone seen the book yet? I'm curious to know how it looks, if I remember correctly, it not only has photos but also contact sheets. I personally love to see the thoughts and photos around the finalized one image.

 

[Ailsa]

We had a review copy in the office recently, and yes, it does feature contact sheets as well as the classic images. It's a pricy tome, but well worth the money if you're even remotely interested in Arbus' work.

 

[jbrodkey]

The current issue of the New York Review of Books has a long article about Arbus by Janet Malcolm. Well worth reading. She likes the old Aperture monograph much better than this huge tome.

 

[bjorke]

Still, the show is good. I'd hope to revisit it today, but got trapped in tearing down christmas decorations.

 

[snapnsam]

I have a copy of the book and it does have copies of the prints, some of the contact sheets and copies of her personal production notes. I am finding especially interesting the chronology of her life events leasding up to her death. Yes, the book is a bit pricey, $100 for the hardcover at the museum. I got my copy on Ebay for $52.++ including shipping.

 

[Grady O]

I have the book as well. I really enjoy it. The contact sheets and personal notes really let you see what she was thinking.

 

[noblebeast]

I just got back from seeing this exhibition today at the LACMA. I hate to use this word, but it was powerful. As much as I enjoy looking at photographs, they usually don't hit me with any sort of intensity at first viewing - I usually have to go away and think about them for a while. But this was different.

If the exhibit comes anywhere near you make whatever arrangements you need to get to it, it's well worth your while. You even get to see a few of her cameras and her old Omega D is set up with what I am assuming is a copy of the negative of her "Jewish Giant" photo projecting from it on to an easel - I always enjoy seeing other photographer's darkrooms. The notebooks and such are very interesting as well. All of this, with the exception of the camera equipment, can also be found in the book "Revelations" so that is the next best thing to, but not the same as, being there.

 

[Q17]

The "Revelations" exhibit has made its way to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. For anyone in the area even remotely interested in her work: GO!

It is an important collection... 200 photographs. We went in through the last of three galleries first -- her later work -- made it though a single gallery and decided we'd have to return ... visual overload.

Absolutely gripping work.

 

[catem]

We had this exhibition in London some months back, and for me it was a turning point in my appreciation of Arbus' work (you can tell by the quote on my signature). I bought the book at the time, (V&A price £40), it's well worth it.

The contact sheets, notes, journals, were fascinating, as was some of her earliest work. I'm not sure I completely understood or felt 100% sympathetic to her methods/pictures before this, the exhibition and book certainly gives more of an idea of her as a person, and shows what a very thoughtful artist she was.

 

[catem]

We had this exhibition in London some months back, and for me it was a turning point in my appreciation of Arbus' work (you can tell by the quote on my signature). I bought the book at the time, (V&A price £40), it's well worth it.

The contact sheets, notes, journals, were fascinating, as was some of her earliest work. I'm not sure I completely understood or felt 100% sympathetic to her methods/pictures before this, the exhibition and book certainly gives more of an idea of her as a person, and shows what a very thoughtful and reflective artist she was.
Cate

 

[tim atherton]

and of course you will soon be able to see Nicole Kidman and her birkenstocks in the movie....

(which will no doubt prompt a run on her books by straggly haired 21 something semi-suicidal bohemian chicks with a Rollei under one arm and a copy of The Bell Jar under the other...)

 

[DBP]

Made a trip up to New York when the show was there. Definitely worth the effort. It was particularly encouraging to look at the contact sheets and see how many shots she discarded.

 

[catem]

It was particularly encouraging to look at the contact sheets and see how many shots she discarded.

Yes, I agree, that really is encouraging. I found the same at a Jane Bown exhibition a while back (one of my all-time heroines) - some of the shots were definitely "misses"; but they do make the "winners" stand out even more...Interesting (and comforting) insight into the process of getting those winning shots, though.

 

[bjorke]

Made a trip up to New York when the show was there. Definitely worth the effort. It was particularly encouraging to look at the contact sheets and see how many shots she discarded.

There was ONE sheet however, which was in the show that blew me away because every shot was (a) killer and (b) different -- very little a-b-c of a particular sbject, she was shooting "LF style" - ONE neg and move on. I was darned impressed by that sheet, anyway.

I know that's not the only way she worked (e.g., the grenade boy), but dang