Diane ARBUS (1923-1971)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
The date in the subtitles below is the date of the print when known.
The date in the subtitles below is the date of the print when known.
Intro
Inspired and encouraged by Lisette Model, Diane Arbus endeavors to reveal the incongruous within the human behavior. The 24 x 36 mm format does not suit her purpose anymore because the eye is too close to the eyecup, hindering the choice of the right moment in a snapshot. In 1962 she opts for the 6 x 6 cm format in a bi-lens Rolleiflex with a reflex viewer.
Having thus perfected her photographic practice, she explores New York with the curiosity of an anthropologist looking for behaviors that are absurd in their very normality. The boy with a toy grenade in Central Park is a seminal picture of this terrible project.
She gets also interested in the theme of the winners of one day, eager to receive the limelight in events that ultimately help in no way to improve their mediocre life. She attends contests of all kinds: beauty, motherhood, spaghetti eating, freckles.
In 1963, the champion couple in the National Junior Interstate Dance tries a step in the ballroom for that photographer who will use their pride to show to the Americans the vanity of social rituals. They have not reached the adult height but are already integrated into an artificial society. A 40 x 40 cm print dated 1963 was sold for $ 380K by Sotheby's on December 11, 2014.
Having thus perfected her photographic practice, she explores New York with the curiosity of an anthropologist looking for behaviors that are absurd in their very normality. The boy with a toy grenade in Central Park is a seminal picture of this terrible project.
She gets also interested in the theme of the winners of one day, eager to receive the limelight in events that ultimately help in no way to improve their mediocre life. She attends contests of all kinds: beauty, motherhood, spaghetti eating, freckles.
In 1963, the champion couple in the National Junior Interstate Dance tries a step in the ballroom for that photographer who will use their pride to show to the Americans the vanity of social rituals. They have not reached the adult height but are already integrated into an artificial society. A 40 x 40 cm print dated 1963 was sold for $ 380K by Sotheby's on December 11, 2014.
Diane Arbus (1923–1971) was an influential American photographer whose black-and-white portraits challenged conventions of normality, beauty, and identity. While no formal psychiatric evaluation of Arbus exists (as she died by suicide and was not publicly diagnosed in detail beyond documented struggles), biographical accounts, psychobiographies, and analyses of her work offer insights into her mental health and its interplay with her art. These suggest recurrent major depression, profound alienation, and a complex search for authenticity amid personal turmoil.
Early Life and Psychological Foundations
Born Diane Nemerov into a wealthy Jewish family in New York City, Arbus grew up insulated from the Great Depression but emotionally distant from her parents. Her father was reserved and work-focused; her mother experienced clinical depression. Biographers note Arbus felt chronically alienated, describing her privileged upbringing as a "protective" yet isolating bubble that fostered lifelong feelings of otherness and inadequacy.She married Allan Arbus young and initially worked in fashion photography, but hated its superficiality, leading to increasing depressive episodes. Separation from Allan in 1959 (followed by divorce in 1969) exacerbated her isolation.
Documented Mental Health Struggles
Arbus suffered prolonged bouts of severe depression, compounded by hepatitis and mood swings. Friends and colleagues observed exaggerated emotional volatility. She sought therapy and was prescribed medications, but often reacted negatively to them.
In 1971, amid professional pressure, illness, and despair, she died by suicide at age 48 (barbiturates and wrist-slashing). Her journal reportedly marked the date with "last supper." Psychobiographer William Todd Schultz describes her as a "living suicide algorithm," linking her risk-taking and subject choices to inner turmoil.
Art as Reflection and Coping Mechanism
Arbus's photography—square-format, direct-flash portraits of "marginalized" people (circus performers, transgender individuals, nudists, giants, dwarfs, and intellectually disabled residents)—is often interpreted psychologically. She sought subjects who embodied unmasked authenticity, contrasting with her own sense of masked privilege.
"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot... They made me feel a mixture of shame and awe. There's a quality of legend about freaks... They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats."
Analyses suggest her work served as "exposure therapy": confronting the "freakish" to process her alienation and depression. Her final "Untitled" series (1969–1971), portraying developmentally disabled people in joyful, unposed moments (e.g., Halloween celebrations), is seen as poignant yet unresolved—some critics argue it mirrored her growing inability to "absorb negativities" through photography.
Her quotes reveal introspection:
Portraits of Arbus from various periods are showing her intense, introspective gaze.
Famous Works Illustrating Themes
Her art blurred "normal" and "abnormal," often evoking unease in viewers—projecting their own psyches onto the images.
Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967)—iconic for its eerie symmetry and hidden differences.
From the "Untitled" series—residents in costumes, evoking ethereal joy amid institutionalization.
Critics like Susan Sontag accused her of voyeurism and exploitation, while others (e.g., in Jungian analyses) view her as integrating her "shadow" self. Modern views emphasize empathy, though ethical debates persist regarding consent and representation.
Arbus's legacy underscores the nuanced link between mental anguish and creative genius—her depression likely intensified her empathy for outsiders, yielding groundbreaking art that humanized the marginalized while exposing universal vulnerability. Her work remains a mirror for viewers' own discomforts with difference.
Early Life and Psychological Foundations
Born Diane Nemerov into a wealthy Jewish family in New York City, Arbus grew up insulated from the Great Depression but emotionally distant from her parents. Her father was reserved and work-focused; her mother experienced clinical depression. Biographers note Arbus felt chronically alienated, describing her privileged upbringing as a "protective" yet isolating bubble that fostered lifelong feelings of otherness and inadequacy.She married Allan Arbus young and initially worked in fashion photography, but hated its superficiality, leading to increasing depressive episodes. Separation from Allan in 1959 (followed by divorce in 1969) exacerbated her isolation.
Documented Mental Health Struggles
Arbus suffered prolonged bouts of severe depression, compounded by hepatitis and mood swings. Friends and colleagues observed exaggerated emotional volatility. She sought therapy and was prescribed medications, but often reacted negatively to them.
In 1971, amid professional pressure, illness, and despair, she died by suicide at age 48 (barbiturates and wrist-slashing). Her journal reportedly marked the date with "last supper." Psychobiographer William Todd Schultz describes her as a "living suicide algorithm," linking her risk-taking and subject choices to inner turmoil.
Art as Reflection and Coping Mechanism
Arbus's photography—square-format, direct-flash portraits of "marginalized" people (circus performers, transgender individuals, nudists, giants, dwarfs, and intellectually disabled residents)—is often interpreted psychologically. She sought subjects who embodied unmasked authenticity, contrasting with her own sense of masked privilege.
"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot... They made me feel a mixture of shame and awe. There's a quality of legend about freaks... They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats."
Analyses suggest her work served as "exposure therapy": confronting the "freakish" to process her alienation and depression. Her final "Untitled" series (1969–1971), portraying developmentally disabled people in joyful, unposed moments (e.g., Halloween celebrations), is seen as poignant yet unresolved—some critics argue it mirrored her growing inability to "absorb negativities" through photography.
Her quotes reveal introspection:
- "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know."
- "I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them."
- "My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been."
Portraits of Arbus from various periods are showing her intense, introspective gaze.
Famous Works Illustrating Themes
Her art blurred "normal" and "abnormal," often evoking unease in viewers—projecting their own psyches onto the images.
Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967)—iconic for its eerie symmetry and hidden differences.
From the "Untitled" series—residents in costumes, evoking ethereal joy amid institutionalization.
Critics like Susan Sontag accused her of voyeurism and exploitation, while others (e.g., in Jungian analyses) view her as integrating her "shadow" self. Modern views emphasize empathy, though ethical debates persist regarding consent and representation.
Arbus's legacy underscores the nuanced link between mental anguish and creative genius—her depression likely intensified her empathy for outsiders, yielding groundbreaking art that humanized the marginalized while exposing universal vulnerability. Her work remains a mirror for viewers' own discomforts with difference.
1962 photo : Exasperated Boy
1
1962
2015 SOLD for $ 790K by Christie's
In front of the camera, the mentally retarded does not play long. He gets tired and displays his true psychology. Diane triggers in that short moment. She did the same with children.
The photo of the boy in Central Park NYC is one of her early 6 x 6 cm views. A contact sheet from this roll of 12 views has been inspected and testifies to the terrible method of the artist for obtaining situations out of the norms.
In the first views the boy poses complacently as if waiting for some congratulation. Towards the middle of the sequence a toy grenade appears in his hand (it will not be revealed if it was provided by Diane or by a non visible third party).
Diane annoys the boy up to exasperation. The gaze becomes furious and the mouth unpleasant. Forgetting the military symbol of the toy he threatens to throw it towards the photographer. She is a great artist : only the image of the final result will be used, the previous ones do not matter. Seen outside the context of its staging such an aggression promised by a child resembling all the other children is disturbing. It is a masterpiece of social photography.
Only seven lifetime prints are known of this picture.
A vintage silver print 30 x 30 cm signed and dated 1962 by Diane with the autograph title Exasperated boy with toy hand grenade was sold for $ 790K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on May 11, 2015, lot 26 A. This example was inscribed to a friend around 1967.
A silver print realized, titled and signed by the artist in 1963 in a similar format mounted on a 50 x 40 cm sheet was sold for $ 510K by Christie's on April 6, 2017, lot 12.
The photo of the boy in Central Park NYC is one of her early 6 x 6 cm views. A contact sheet from this roll of 12 views has been inspected and testifies to the terrible method of the artist for obtaining situations out of the norms.
In the first views the boy poses complacently as if waiting for some congratulation. Towards the middle of the sequence a toy grenade appears in his hand (it will not be revealed if it was provided by Diane or by a non visible third party).
Diane annoys the boy up to exasperation. The gaze becomes furious and the mouth unpleasant. Forgetting the military symbol of the toy he threatens to throw it towards the photographer. She is a great artist : only the image of the final result will be used, the previous ones do not matter. Seen outside the context of its staging such an aggression promised by a child resembling all the other children is disturbing. It is a masterpiece of social photography.
Only seven lifetime prints are known of this picture.
A vintage silver print 30 x 30 cm signed and dated 1962 by Diane with the autograph title Exasperated boy with toy hand grenade was sold for $ 790K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on May 11, 2015, lot 26 A. This example was inscribed to a friend around 1967.
A silver print realized, titled and signed by the artist in 1963 in a similar format mounted on a 50 x 40 cm sheet was sold for $ 510K by Christie's on April 6, 2017, lot 12.
2
2021 SOLD for $ 625K by Christie's
Another example printed by Diane Arbus on same sheet size was sold for $ 625K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on October 6, 2021, lot 2.
A print signed by Diane Arbus and bearing the copyright of her estate was sold for $ 500K by Gaston and Sheehan on September 4, 2025, lot 9000 in the U.S. Marshals Service Art Auction of assets recovered from the 1MDB fraud case. It is mounted under plexiglas within a black frame.
A print signed by Diane Arbus and bearing the copyright of her estate was sold for $ 500K by Gaston and Sheehan on September 4, 2025, lot 9000 in the U.S. Marshals Service Art Auction of assets recovered from the 1MDB fraud case. It is mounted under plexiglas within a black frame.
1966 photo : Identical Twins
1
1966-1967
2025 SOLD for $ 700K by Sotheby's
From 1966 Diane Arbus, increasingly critical of the behaviors labelled as normal, visits the human monsters and the mentally retarded for witnessing the consequences of their infirmity on their personality and lifestyle.
The portrait of the identical sisters Cathleen and Colleen in their Sunday attire was realized in December 1966 by Diane Arbus at a local feast in Roselle NJ that promoted the theme of twins and multiple births. Diane isolated the two girls to photograph them standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a white wall devoid of any context.
The mystery of the psychological and social life of homozygote twins can only be understood by them. The photo was taken at the very moment when the child on the left loses her conventional smile and begins to sulk in a tiny anticipation over the behavior of her sister.
Diane immediately knew that she had made a masterpiece and prepared it for an exhibition scheduled for two months later at the MoMA.
From the preparation phase, a 38 x 38 cm print without the black border is fitted in a 67 x 67 cm frame. Kept by the artist, it was transferred to her estate. It was sold for $ 700K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Sotheby's on October 22, 2025, lot 5.
The portrait of the identical sisters Cathleen and Colleen in their Sunday attire was realized in December 1966 by Diane Arbus at a local feast in Roselle NJ that promoted the theme of twins and multiple births. Diane isolated the two girls to photograph them standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a white wall devoid of any context.
The mystery of the psychological and social life of homozygote twins can only be understood by them. The photo was taken at the very moment when the child on the left loses her conventional smile and begins to sulk in a tiny anticipation over the behavior of her sister.
Diane immediately knew that she had made a masterpiece and prepared it for an exhibition scheduled for two months later at the MoMA.
From the preparation phase, a 38 x 38 cm print without the black border is fitted in a 67 x 67 cm frame. Kept by the artist, it was transferred to her estate. It was sold for $ 700K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Sotheby's on October 22, 2025, lot 5.
2
1966-1967
2013 SOLD for $ 600K by Phillips
A gelatin silver print 38 x 38 cm signed and dated 1966 by Diane Arbus was sold for $ 600K from a lower estimate of $ 180K by Phillips on April 2, 2013, lot 28. It is accompanied by an addressed postcard, probably from the early promotional issue.
Indeed by January 1967, in preparation for the MoMA exhibition, Arbus had made a print of Identical Twins and released it as a postcard which she mailed to various friends to encourage them to see the show.
A consecration comes in 1967 with the exhibition entitled New Documents at the Museum of Modern Art.
Indeed by January 1967, in preparation for the MoMA exhibition, Arbus had made a print of Identical Twins and released it as a postcard which she mailed to various friends to encourage them to see the show.
A consecration comes in 1967 with the exhibition entitled New Documents at the Museum of Modern Art.
3
1967-1969
2024 SOLD for $ 1.2M by Christie's
A gelatin silver print 38 x 36 cm on 50 x 40 cm sheet of Identical twins was sold for $ 1.2M from a lower estimate of $ 800K by Christie's on May 14, 2024, lot 45A.
It had been printed by the artist before she changed the style of the black upper and lower borders in 1969. She signed it and titled it 'Identical twins, (Cathleen and Colleen), Roselle, New Jersey, 1967'. It had been gifted by the estate to private Japanese collectors.
It had been printed by the artist before she changed the style of the black upper and lower borders in 1969. She signed it and titled it 'Identical twins, (Cathleen and Colleen), Roselle, New Jersey, 1967'. It had been gifted by the estate to private Japanese collectors.
4
1967-1969
2018 SOLD for $ 730K by Christie's
A silver print 38 x 38 cm on a 50 x 40 cm sheet was sold for $ 730K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on October 5, 2018, lot 242. It had been printed by the artist in the same period as the example above, and certified and numbered by the estate.
5
1967-1969
2025 SOLD for $ 630K by Christie's
A similar example with the black borders was sold for $ 630K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on February 27, 2025, lot 121.
Made by Arbus herself, it is signed and dedicated on the front to an art director who kept it ffrom 1970 to 2025. It is titled on the back.
In the same size as the examples above, a print executed by the artist without the black borders, certified and numbered by the estate, was sold for € 550K by Christie's on November 9, 2017, lot 20.
Made by Arbus herself, it is signed and dedicated on the front to an art director who kept it ffrom 1970 to 2025. It is titled on the back.
In the same size as the examples above, a print executed by the artist without the black borders, certified and numbered by the estate, was sold for € 550K by Christie's on November 9, 2017, lot 20.
1970 A Jewish Giant
2017 SOLD for $ 580K by Christie's
The art of Diane Arbus is a continuous view on his contemporaries in North America. Entirely in black and white, it comes in the following of the photographs of Dorothea Lange.
However, where Lange used photography to show the psychological and social distress of people affected by the crisis, Diane Arbus somehow treated the opposite.
Arbus's characters are integrated into the world without actually being normal: a giant, for example. Or their behavior is marginal to society's decorous rules: nudists. Or, simply, they care as everyone in activities that one might ask the deeper meaning: a nap next to a camping table, the boy who plays at Central Park with a hand grenade toy.
Armed with her Rolleiflex, Diane Arbus observes the modern rites of American life. She photographs ordinary people in socially aberrant and disturbing situations. She always had violent attacks of depression and searches for her own use if human life has some meaning.
In 1968 she manages to study more specifically the theme of the family. Seeking the monstrous within the normality, she sees in a shop an excessive blonde of around 35, incredibly eyelashed and booted. This woman certainly has a family and the husband must be a dress maker or a restaurateur. They make an appointment for a summer Sunday, to enjoy the garden.
The husband is instead a rhythm and blues publisher and they have three children. Diane captures a moment of relaxation. Husband and wife take a nap on their lounge chairs, well separated by a low table carrying a few ordinary items. Farther on, the four-year-old boy is leaning over a small pool. None of them is interested in the others or in the photographer. The other two children are not visible.
Diane will comment: "I think all families are creepy in a way". This photo, titled A Family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester NY, responds to her research. Diane included it in 1970 in her "Box of Ten Photographs" which summarizes her work and whose ultimate entries are the giant, the dwarf and the senior dance.
Signed prints of this photo are very rare. One of them, 40 x 40 cm, was sold for $ 550K by Sotheby's on April 8, 2008, lot 264.
The Jewish giant Eddie Carmel is photographed with his small sized parents in their living room in the Bronx NY in 1970. The guy had been performing in a circus as "the world's biggest cowboy" and was billed at 8 feet 9 inches, certainly with some exaggeration. He is gazing down at his parents with a look of apology for the burden related to his abnormality
A gelatin silver print 37 x 37 cm on a 51 x 41 cm sheet of the Jewish Giant inscribed on the reverse to a sculptor and her partner by the artist was sold for $ 580K from a lower estimate of $ 300K by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 25 B.
However, where Lange used photography to show the psychological and social distress of people affected by the crisis, Diane Arbus somehow treated the opposite.
Arbus's characters are integrated into the world without actually being normal: a giant, for example. Or their behavior is marginal to society's decorous rules: nudists. Or, simply, they care as everyone in activities that one might ask the deeper meaning: a nap next to a camping table, the boy who plays at Central Park with a hand grenade toy.
Armed with her Rolleiflex, Diane Arbus observes the modern rites of American life. She photographs ordinary people in socially aberrant and disturbing situations. She always had violent attacks of depression and searches for her own use if human life has some meaning.
In 1968 she manages to study more specifically the theme of the family. Seeking the monstrous within the normality, she sees in a shop an excessive blonde of around 35, incredibly eyelashed and booted. This woman certainly has a family and the husband must be a dress maker or a restaurateur. They make an appointment for a summer Sunday, to enjoy the garden.
The husband is instead a rhythm and blues publisher and they have three children. Diane captures a moment of relaxation. Husband and wife take a nap on their lounge chairs, well separated by a low table carrying a few ordinary items. Farther on, the four-year-old boy is leaning over a small pool. None of them is interested in the others or in the photographer. The other two children are not visible.
Diane will comment: "I think all families are creepy in a way". This photo, titled A Family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester NY, responds to her research. Diane included it in 1970 in her "Box of Ten Photographs" which summarizes her work and whose ultimate entries are the giant, the dwarf and the senior dance.
Signed prints of this photo are very rare. One of them, 40 x 40 cm, was sold for $ 550K by Sotheby's on April 8, 2008, lot 264.
The Jewish giant Eddie Carmel is photographed with his small sized parents in their living room in the Bronx NY in 1970. The guy had been performing in a circus as "the world's biggest cowboy" and was billed at 8 feet 9 inches, certainly with some exaggeration. He is gazing down at his parents with a look of apology for the burden related to his abnormality
A gelatin silver print 37 x 37 cm on a 51 x 41 cm sheet of the Jewish Giant inscribed on the reverse to a sculptor and her partner by the artist was sold for $ 580K from a lower estimate of $ 300K by Christie's on May 17, 2017, lot 25 B.
1970s A Box of Ten Photographs (posthumous)
Intro
Aged 46 in 1969, Diane Arbus undertakes a very classical approach. For the first time, she wants to gather in a portfolio her best ten photographs, to be printed in 50 copies 37 x 37 cm.
The title is not significant : A box of ten photographs. Only the images are important. She chose the strongest and the most confusing, those that create doubts about the true nature of US mankind. The earliest view in this anthology was from 1962, when she began to be appealed by teratological monsters and aberrant social behaviors.
Her own mental health did not resist. Very few sets were already printed and signed when she committed suicide, in 1971. The project was completed by her estate, reaching the targeted edition run of 50.
The set includes Identical Twins, A Jewish Giant, A Family on the lawn but not the 1962 Child with a hand grenade in Central Park.
The title is not significant : A box of ten photographs. Only the images are important. She chose the strongest and the most confusing, those that create doubts about the true nature of US mankind. The earliest view in this anthology was from 1962, when she began to be appealed by teratological monsters and aberrant social behaviors.
Her own mental health did not resist. Very few sets were already printed and signed when she committed suicide, in 1971. The project was completed by her estate, reaching the targeted edition run of 50.
The set includes Identical Twins, A Jewish Giant, A Family on the lawn but not the 1962 Child with a hand grenade in Central Park.
1
1973
15/50
2023 SOLD for $ 1M by Christie's
The portfolio 15/50 printed in 1973 accompanied with its original Plexiglas box was sold for $ 1M by Christie's on May 15, 2023, lot 24 B.
