Diane Arbus 1923-1971

bidding is closed

Description

Diane Arbus
'waitress, nudist camp, n. j.'

signed, titled, dated, annotated 'Not to be Reproduced,' and with a personal note to Michael Smith by the photographer in ink on the reverse, matted, 1963, printed no later than 1967

Provenance

The photographer to Michael Smith, 1967

Literature

Diane Arbus: Revelations (New York, 2003, in conjunction with the exhibition originating at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art), p. 72

Catalogue Note

Arbus's note reads, 'Dear Michael, I really liked the picture you sent me. Would you go see mine at the Museum of Modern Art? They look good and I really want you to see it. Diane'

From the 28th of February to the 7th of May, 1967, thirty of Arbus's photographs were exhibited, along with those of Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand, in MoMA's groundbreaking New Documents exhibition curated by John Szarkowski. This was the only major museum exhibition of Arbus's work during her lifetime. To encourage specific people to see the exhibition, Arbus sent small prints of her photographs with personal invitations on the reverse.

In the early 1960s, Michael Smith was an associate editor and theater critic at The Village Voice. Through his friendships with Helen Merrill and Tony Perkins, Smith became acquainted with Doon Arbus around 1959. He met Diane when he was invited to a birthday party for Doon at her mother's apartment. Smith recalls, "It was the first time I had seen prints of the whole negative, with the ragged edges showing. Diane also showed me some anonymous photographs of large groups of people, school classes and the like, envious that every face was sharp. I saw less of Doon after I moved to the Village in 1962, but I sometimes ran into Diane on the street and must have sent her a picture I thought she would like."