Doon Arbus

The photographs here vary between being haunting and enchanting--all are affecting. Having Arbus' text about the photographs, particularly in the first half of the collection, is an added treasure that brings to life many of her characters, all of whom are just as unbelievable as some of the portraits shown here. This is, in truth, a fascinating and wonderful collection that acts as a step back in time. Absolutely recommended.

While there were some fantastic photos in this book, as a whole I found it quite underwhelming. Maybe if I knew more about the actual people involved in the Vietnam and Civil Rights movements in the US the characters would have had a deeper impact, but maybe it's just that there's too much focus on these two areas. Judge me as superficial if you want, but the most memorable image for me wa of Bob Dylan - not because he's famous (I'm not into his music at all), but because the character show more portrayed was Art.

I think that what really made reading this book tedious though were the paragraphs accompanying the photos. There was really very little conecting them besides "the 60s," and honestly most of them were not even very well written. Stick to the photos, please! show less

The Sixties is the product of a 30-year collaboration between photographer Richard Avedon and writer Doon Arbus, whose images and words combine in this volume to create a compelling portrait of one of the 20th century's most tumultuous decades.

Exhibition held at the Spencer Museum of Art, January 22-March 4, 1984