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380th out of 1,802 books
—
1,738 voters
Diane Arbus: A Biography
Like Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefee, Dinae Arbus exerts a fascination rooted in both her art and her life. Her startling photographic images of dwarfs, twins, transvestites, and freaks seemed from the first to redefine
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
October 17th 2006
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 1984)
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This book was filled with great ideas from a great artist about what photography is, was, can be, would be, to be. Although I find in many reviews people complain that it wasn't intamite enough, I find that a biography doesn't have to divulge every secret in order to be great. There was a secret behind each of her photos as there was behind her life and should the book as well. A great read with refrences to other artists, such as Mary and Robert Frank, that were worth checking out if you weren'...more
Eh. The first third of the book is much stronger than the last two-thirds. Bosworth points out that Arbus was quite secretive about her daily life, and definitely liked to create her art A L O N E, so there is very little to say about, well, her and her art, because... no one really knows about it.
Unfortunately, Bosworth tries to focus on the creation of Arbus's art and the development of her artistic life when there just isn't enough information, and the book suffers. Once Arbus separates from...more
Unfortunately, Bosworth tries to focus on the creation of Arbus's art and the development of her artistic life when there just isn't enough information, and the book suffers. Once Arbus separates from...more
You get the impression, when reading this book, that the family had approval of every word. It's too bad that the real story of her life may never be told. Maybe one day one of her children will attempt that. Still, engrossing reading. Like trying to solve a mystery: where did this woman come from, how did her vision develop, what, ultimately happened to her. Great companion book to have read before seeing the wonderful film "Fur".
Her first encounter with the camera that became her signature motif began when she met Allan Arbus, a young photographer several years older than her who did photo shoots for her parents store, with whom she fell in love, later married, divorced but clung to for the rest of her life nonetheless. It was Allan who learned the technical aspect of photography in the military that in turn taught Diane how to process film but it was she who had the eye for photo composition. Her contemporaries includi...more
Bosworth's biography gets five stars for keeping me occupied during eleven or so hours on a bus chaperoning a school field trip to Washington D.C. The author does a good job of tracing the influence Arbus' early life had on her later career and illuminating some of the likely sources of her fixation on the morbid, the bizarre, the twisted and the forbidden.
I have a vague memory of reading somewhere that Bosworth had relied too much on rumor and distorted some aspects of Arbus' life (possibly I...more
I have a vague memory of reading somewhere that Bosworth had relied too much on rumor and distorted some aspects of Arbus' life (possibly I...more
ok full of 'i knew diane qutoes from the nanny of her cousin who she hardly met, the obscure aunt who only saw her once, jerry her dads ex sales ladys (they were in the grament trade) ex husband who saw diane in the park once in her pram' ok i made those up but you get the picture. this book is padded out with quotes from 'hangers on' who, it would appear, the author couldn't possibly have spoken to because many where long gone when this was written and the back of the book is full to the brim o...more
A lot of Arbus's life in this that was new to me. It seemed though to be rather weighty at the beginning about her younger life in terms of facts and information compared to her later years which seemed to me to be glossed over through lack of information & in many instances mini bio's of people Arbus was associated with were used as filler. While Bosworth says at the start the family wouldn't talk to her for the book, there are a lot of quotes from various family members. I was stunned to r...more
I am not sure that the writing in the book was terrific, but the subject was certainly fascinating. I have tried twice to watch "Fur", the fictional story of Diane Arbus' life, apparently insoired by this book, but I get so creeped out by the Robert Downey, Jr. charcater that I have to quit. Diane's life was like that...filled with creepy people who fascinated her. The biggest disappointment about this book was the fact that the author had no access to Diane's photos, which are closely guarded b...more
Diane Arbus frightens me. Her photographs frighten me (the faces of her subjects seem to stare straight into you), the way she always seemed to give herself away frightens me (her numerous sexual exploits, the confessionals that followed), and her suicide frightens me. I feel angry too. Angry that Allan Arbus left her for another women when she had sacrificed so much for him. I think their separation killed her. I feel angry about a comment at the end of the biography that people were bored with...more
I enjoyed reading this biography of Diane Arbus and discovering some very interesting anecdotes about her life. This bio isn't a critical biography, rather a presentation of opinions of people who knew her well written by someone who knew her in real life. I would have been interested to have more of the biographer present in the narrative. There seems to be too much of a New York clique in the story - Diane met this person, then this person who you should know but don't. Sometimes it was diffic...more
What can I say? I suppose I could spout the usual claptrap about the artist breaking free from the bonds of conformity and commercial expectations. Sure. I could do that. But I'd rather not. There's so much more to say than that, but, the thing is, I'm not quite sure how to say it. Diane Arbus was such a singular artist. One who made her mark in a truly original way. To try to encapsulate her work into banal mantras would be to do her a great injustice; this was a woman who visually influenced K...more
Had Diane Arbus lived until today she would be a year older than my father. Very strange thought because my father is the very antithesis of cool. She joined the ranks of many cool pop/rock artists who killed themselves consciously and otherwise during the early 70's; Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Duane Allman. Diane Arbus broadened the subject matter of still photography; taking sensitive pictures of freaks, nudists, the plain ugly in their natural habitat without apology or shame....more
Once you see her images and know her time you have to know who she is. She was a woman who said she didn't become a photographer until late in life (38!) because a woman spends the first half of her life getting married and having children.
She was right.
But,she changed art. Not an easy thing to do. Changing art means that whoever comes next to make art can start where that change-agent left off. Changing art rockets us to creative hyperspace and this woman is probably one of the most important p...more
She was right.
But,she changed art. Not an easy thing to do. Changing art means that whoever comes next to make art can start where that change-agent left off. Changing art rockets us to creative hyperspace and this woman is probably one of the most important p...more
This bio is slightly hindered by the lack of actual Arbus photos in the book - my advice is to read the Bosworth book with a book of Arbus' photos nearby. I read this bio in tandem with the exhibition book 'Diane Arbus Revelations,' which was put together by her daughter and also contains a chronology of her life. You can pretty much find every photo mentioned in the Bosworth book in the Revelations book. Together these two tomes should give you a full portrait of this dark American genius.
An interesting, readable and well-researched account of Diane Arbus' personal and artistic development starting with a description of her family background and finishing with her suicide in 1971.
I usually only manage to stay interested in biographies for the first 2/3s, but this one kept me reading to the end.
Don't be mislead by the 'Fur - Now a Major Film' sticker on this edition, the movie has not much to do with the real Diane Arbus (and this book).
I usually only manage to stay interested in biographies for the first 2/3s, but this one kept me reading to the end.
Don't be mislead by the 'Fur - Now a Major Film' sticker on this edition, the movie has not much to do with the real Diane Arbus (and this book).
For my younger friends who may not have heard of Arbus, here's a little gallery: http://diane-arbus-photography.com/
This was interesting but felt like it took a long time to read. She was an arresting persona, who suffered greatly from a lifetime of depression and other undiagnosed neuroses. A total lack of spirituality from Diane and many of her contemporaries makes a lot of what happens just plain sad.
Her compulsion, was however, genius in my opinion and her striking images definitely changed...more
This was interesting but felt like it took a long time to read. She was an arresting persona, who suffered greatly from a lifetime of depression and other undiagnosed neuroses. A total lack of spirituality from Diane and many of her contemporaries makes a lot of what happens just plain sad.
Her compulsion, was however, genius in my opinion and her striking images definitely changed...more
Not as insightful into Diane's artistic process as I had hoped. The description of Germaine Greer's experience with her was as close as it got. None of the photos described, also too bad. Definitely covers the breadth of her life though and some of her thoughts on process, although what that really shows is her arcane nature.
Good overview of an iconic American photographer. While no one can truly sense what Diane Arbus' thought process was in her approach to photography, you definitely get a sense of her character. Felt like the book jumped around a bit and got a little off track in places. Only took me less than a week to read.
First job out of college was working in one of the best contemporary art galleries in the Southeast. I was surrounded by photography by the best and most famous. The gallery owner had a fabulous library of art books and this was one of them.
Really liked learning that she had to connect with her subjects before she could photograph them, that she put herself on their level to get them to reveal themselves. Liked the whole description of her work and her artistic sense.
I reluctantly picked up this book because I have heard such mixed reviews of it in inner fine art photographic circles. Curiously, i chose to finally reading it after seeing the movie "Fur", the imaginary biography of Diane Arbus. The movie is a whole other story and review ( I actually like the movie as soon as i stopped thinking of it as true in any sense of the word).
The book, is readable enough and offers an interesting look at the world of photography in the the 40's through the early 70's,...more
The book, is readable enough and offers an interesting look at the world of photography in the the 40's through the early 70's,...more
I forgot I finished this, don't come here enough lately, I seldom finish books these days, I just read them and start another! Anyway, I love love love her artwork, but her story was so beautiful and sad and really engaging. It really clears up any negative misconceptions about her motives for taking the kind of photographs that she took, and helped me understand really just how talented and brave she was. She was born with a silver spoon and a heart of gold, a combination that I personally love...more
Apr 11, 2007
Anna
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
female artists and those interested in reading about them
An interesting and troublesome book for me. Arbus's development as a photographer was more gripping than the stories of her career. Her family retains the rights to her work and, according to author Bosworth, refused to grant permission to reproduce any of her photographs; the book suffers for it. Additionally, some research into depression might not be amiss for a biography of someone who committed suicide. If Bosworth did any such research, it doesn't come through. Perhaps she didn't want her...more
Fascinating account of an avant-garde photographer and what the NYC creative arts scene was like from an insider's POV in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. A compelling and disturbing bio.
I really enjoyed this book, however I've been told this biography is not an accurate representation of Diane's life. Nonetheless, I found it well written and a good read.
Gasp.
Diane Arbus is one of my favorite photographers. I was fortunate to see an exhibit of her work at the San Francisco MOMA.
This biography is shocking but beautiful.
Diane Arbus is one of my favorite photographers. I was fortunate to see an exhibit of her work at the San Francisco MOMA.
This biography is shocking but beautiful.
enjoyed this biography of a photographer that turned from glamour/fashion photography to photograph her interest in the bizarre, the fringe, the dark of human society
OK, it wasn't that this was a bad book, but I am a huge Arbus fan, and this book just didn't hold my interest for some reason.
Maybe I should re-read it sometime...
Maybe I should re-read it sometime...
I had a hard time reading this. My mother suffers from chronic depression and she is also an artist. Diane was brilliant and her photos were groundbreaking.
I feel like I'm reaching out to find out how other women artists do it. I became fascinated with Diane Arbus's life after watching the movie FUR with Nicole Kidman.
I like that Diane saw herself as an Alice in Wonderland. She earned the trust of people who were misunderstood, communities that were dark and a little grotesque, and she tried to understand them through film.
I think that's what I want to do through my writing. I want to act like a translator between people and things who are misunder...more
I like that Diane saw herself as an Alice in Wonderland. She earned the trust of people who were misunderstood, communities that were dark and a little grotesque, and she tried to understand them through film.
I think that's what I want to do through my writing. I want to act like a translator between people and things who are misunder...more
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Sep 24, 2011 12:14am