Learning from Diane Arbus (1)

Diane Arbus (1)

Learning to Be Born!

When you look up the phrase “to strike a chord” in the dictionary, it means “to be deeply moved.”
In other words, it means to be etched so deeply into one’s heart that it cannot be forgotten.

text by IIZUKA Hidemi

The following is from the photography collection DIANE ARBUS REVELATIONS (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art / Publisher: Randon House, New York, NY, 2003).

I experienced such emotions at the DIANE ARBUS REVELATIONS exhibition, held at the VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM in London.

Diane Arbus was born in 1923 into a wealthy Jewish middle-class family in New York and married Allen Arbus at the age of 18. She became involved with photography by assisting her husband, who was a photographer.
In 1955, she studied photography under Alexey Broodovich (art director of Harper’s Bazaar), and from 1956 to 1958, she studied under Lisette Model, taking her first steps as the photographer Diane Arbus. However, she passed away in 1971, having cut both her wrists.

From the film "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus."
© MMVI NEW LINE CINEMA PICTUREHOUSE HOLDINGS.INC./HBO PICTUREHOUSE HOLDINGS.INC.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The film "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus," directed by Steven Shainberg and based on the life of Diane Arbus, is set to be released.

Although Nicole Kidman plays Diane Arbus in this film, those who support Diane Arbus's philosophy and work as a photographer might find it somewhat lacking. However, I personally felt, after seeing it in Paris, that it's not a bad thing if it sparks interest in her photographs among more people.

This film alone does not reveal her true self as a photographer. Therefore, for those who wish to understand Diane Arbus more deeply and engage with her work, I would recommend "Revelations," which I consider the most magnificent among her many collections.

Continuing from Diane Arbus (2) "Learning to Be Born!"

The film "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus"
Roadshow begins May 26th at Cinema GAGA and other theaters nationwide.

Official website for "Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus"
http://kegawa.gyao.jp/