Diane Arbus (edition 2005)

A lot of Arbus's life in this that was new to me. It seemed though to be rather weighty at the beginning about her younger life in terms of facts and information compared to her later years which seemed to me to be glossed over through lack of information & in many instances mini bio's of people Arbus was associated with were used as filler. While Bosworth says at the start the family wouldn't talk to her for the book, there are a lot of quotes from various family members. I was stunned to read that Arbus's work extends into thousands & thousands of prints and most have not been published or seen and for whatever reason the family is holding onto those works. Bosworth mentions Diane's depression throughout and her subsequent suicide, but does not go far enough to any sort of resolution. There's a lot not said, or perhaps not known, although some portion of blame is assigned to her illness of hepatitis & toxic effects of medications and it would be interesting to hear other views. ( )

Rated: F ( )

B ARBUS

This was a depressing book as Diane was a depressed person portrayed in this book. Though she had huge talent for photography, she did not seem to 'give herself enough credit'. Coming from a seemingly dysfunctional home, Diane 'made the best of her situation'. I personally did not agree with her morals, nor of the stated photographs she took. The author was quite detailed regarding Diane's interactions throughout her years. ( )