Diane Arbus: Constellation
June 5 - August 17
“Her memorable work … transformed the art of photography (Arbus is everywhere, for better and worse, in the work of artists today who make photographs), and it lent a fresh dignity to the forgotten and neglected people in whom she invested so much of herself.”
—The New York Times
“The main impression left by this extraordinary exhibition, which provides a full view of Arbus’s manifold achievement, is how much great work she produced in her 15-year career and how fresh it continues to feel more than fifty years after her death.”
—The Guardian (UK)
Diane Arbus is one of the most original and influential photographers of the twentieth century, best known for her stark, documentary style of capturing people outside the boundaries of ordinary society. For decades, her innovative artistry has influenced countless artists with iconic images that seem to reflect Arbus’s restless attraction to the unfamiliar in all its guises.
These dynamic pictures are given an evocative new life at the Armory in an immersive installation that brings together all of the photographs (some still unpublished) from the set of more than 450 prints by Neil Selkirk, a photographer and student of hers and the only person authorized to make prints from her negatives. This unconventional constellation of images allows viewers to find their own path to discover what lies between the pictures, what connects them to each other, and the imperceptible architecture underlying all creations: chance, chaos, and exploration. Marking the largest and most complete showing of her works in New York to date, this unprecedented collection of Arbus’s works provides a diverse and singularly compelling portrait of humanity.