When Diane Arbus Became Diane Arbus
Showcasing her work from 1956 to ’62, “Diane Arbus: In the Beginning,” now up at the Met Breuer, exhibits some of the photographer’s earliest influential images, though they were not her first forays with a camera. Arbus, then in her 30s, had already spent years shooting for magazines like Vogue. Her first street photos, though, were a radical departure: They captured New Yorkers – from society women to drag queens – with an honesty rare in fashion photography, but with their dignity intact. Take a look back at the moment Diane Arbus became the artist we know now.
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Diane Arbus, “Woman with white gloves and a pocket book, N.Y.C.,” 1956.
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Diane Arbus, “Jack Dracula at a bar, New London, Conn.,” 1961.
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Diane Arbus, “Taxicab driver at the wheel with two passengers, N.Y.C.,” 1956.
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Diane Arbus, “The Backwards Man in his hotel room, N.Y.C.” 1961.
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Diane Arbus, “Man in hat, trunks, socks and shoes, Coney Island, N.Y.,” 1960.
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Diane Arbus, “Lady on a bus, N.Y.C.,” 1957.
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Diane Arbus, “Female impersonator holding long gloves, Hempstead, L.I.,” 1959.
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Diane Arbus, “Kid in a hooded jacket aiming a gun, N.Y.C.,” 1957.
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Diane Arbus, “Stripper with bare breasts sitting in her dressing room, Atlantic City, N.J.,” 1961.
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Diane Arbus, “Elderly woman whispering to her dinner partner, Grand Opera Ball, N.Y.C.,” 1959.
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Diane Arbus, “Fire Eater at a carnival, Palisades Park, N.J.,” 1957.
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Diane Arbus, “Boy stepping off the curb, N.Y.C.,” 1957–58.
