When Diane Arbus died in 1971 at the age of forty-eight, she was already a major influence, even a legend, among serious photographers, although at the time only a relatively small number of her most important photographs were widely known. The publication of Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph in 1972, together with the retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, offered the general public their first introduction to the scale and power of her achievements.
The response was unprecedented. The monograph of eighty photographs was edited and designed by painter Marvin Israel, Diane Arbus’s friend and colleague, and by her daughter, Doon Arbus. Their aim was to remain as faithful as possible to the standards by which Arbus judged her own work and to the ways she hoped it would be seen.
There is no commentary in the book. Only Diane Arbus's own words, taken from recordings and interviews compiled by her daughter are included.
Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph, universally recognized as a classic, is a timeless masterpiece that has appeared in editions in five languages and remains a cornerstone of her international reputation.
Nearly half a century has not diminished the compelling impact of these photographs or the controversy they provoke. Arbus's photographs penetrate the psyche with the power of a personal encounter, transforming the way we see the world and the people in it.
This was the first edition for which the images were digitized; Robert J. Hennessey prepared the files specially using prints by Neil Selkirk.
Diane Arbus. An Aperture Monograph - Elisabeth Sussman, Doon Arbus
Pages: 184
Price: €49.04
Publisher: Aperture
