Arbus, Model, Strömholm

by Diane Arbus (Photographer), Lisette Model (Photographer), Christer Stromholm (Photographer)

This catalogue from an exhibition at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm unites three modern photographic masters who worked in black-and-white and found their subjects in the characters of the urban street: Diane Arbus, Lisette Model and Christer Strömholm. Portraits take precedence here. Arbus and Model ventured into New York to find their gallery of faces, while Stramholm wandered through Paris. No matter where they went, their eyes were finely tuned to the variety of human emotion and experience passing on the sidewalks. Arbus's photographs here are drawn from the 1960s, particularly those which were included in the first book devoted to her work published by "Aperture" in 1972. With Model emphasis is on her work in America from the 1940s onwards. Stramholm is primarily represented by pictures from Paris taken during the 1960s, when he made his famous portraits of transvestites at the Place Blanche, but also included is a selection of photos from his trips to the United States.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2005

About the author

People best know portraits of prostitutes, transvestites, persons with physical deformities, and other unconventional subjects of American photographer Diane Arbus.

Diane Arbus noted dwarfs, giants, and ordinary citizens in poses and settings on the fringes of society.

Arbus used 35-mm cameras to create her early work but adopted the Rolleiflex medium format twin-lens reflex before the 1960s. This format provided a square aspect ratio, higher image resolution, and a waist-level viewfinder, not a standard eye, which allowed Arbus to connect in different ways. Arbus also experimented with the use of flashes in daylight, allowing her to highlight and separate from the background.

In July 1971, Arbus ingested a large quantity of barbiturates and then slashed her wrists to commit suicide in Greenwich Village at the age of 48 years.

Reviews

[Nadim Saeed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy on text and light on photos, this book has some great images, but the Swedish and English texts are not all that interesting.