Lately, I’ve been reading Gregory Gibson’s Hubert’s Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus. Photographer of both the popular and the unorthodox, Arbus lived an extraordinary adventure until her untimely death in 1971. She portrayed her subjects with uncompromising directness and dignity. Though born into an affluent New York family, Arbus chose to photograph in some of the darkest, most forbidden – and most interesting places in the city. She cut her professional teeth as a fashion photographer, but felt restrained by the rules of the fashion world and collaboration with her husband Allen Arbus. Later, through her technical studies with Lisette Model and the encouragement given by her famed tutor, Arbus honed her personal style. Eventually, her work revolutionized documentary photography. Interested in learning more about Diane Arbus? Please join us on May 19th for the latest installment of Books & Art, Wine & Cheese and have a look at ground-breaking photographs by female photographers in Women of the Chrysler.

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