I woke up on July 26, 1971 figuring there would be some good birthday shenanigans.
I didn’t realize till later that one of my photographic heroes, Diane Arbus, had taken her own life on that day.
More on that later.

There is now a comprehensive exhibit of her work, including over 450 photographs, showing now at the Park Avenue Armory. Called Diane Arbus – Constellation

Here is a brief biography on her, and you will no doubt be familiar with some of her more famous works.

The layout here is unique, and encourages you to wander and explore and discover.

It’s not set up with specific areas of her work, like the series in a nudist colony, or her portraits in the park.
With photos displayed above your head and down near the floor, you will have a more active experience than in most shows.

There is a folded legend you are encouraged bring into the exhibit to give you the titles of specific images.
Although you can just wander, and trust me, you will.

The more famous of her photos seem to be at key eye levels, but you will see more as you cruise through the show.
This is the largest exhibition of her work, and I saw so many images that were unfamiliar to me.
Interestingly, when you first walk in it seems to go on forever, but the back wall is actually a mirror!

The baby picture above is Anderson Cooper. Diane Arbus was commissioned to make this by his mother Gloria Vanderbilt.

This exhibit was first seen in Arles, France at the annual Recontre  festival celebrating photography, and there are films that cover presentations that occurred there.
Neil Selkirk, who had worked with her prints for over 50 years, and Darius Himes, chief curator of photography for Christies give insight into her life work, and yes, her death.
They even brought out her cameras and discussed why she used each one.

Not long after her death, MOMA showed a retrospective of her work, and then one of the most famous books of photos, her Aperture Monograph was published, and has sold well over 500K copies, and is still in print.

My mom bought me the book when it came out in the 70’s and for the longest time it was a tough viewing. Once a year, I would bring it out and turn the beautifully printed pages, and go deep.
This was not the photographer who wanted to shock, she wanted you to see.
And perhaps understand and accept.

There was another major retrospective mounted in 2003 taking over a majority of the space at LACMA, and also had a companion book.

As for her death, can anyone really know why someone commits suicide?
In one of the videos, there is a Q&A section, which I encourage you to watch, commenting on this mystery.

When someone asks why she did it. Neil Selkirk said because she was a consummate artist, perhaps she accomplished what she set out to do. It was complete.

The Park Avenue Armory has most recently hosted AIPAD, and I encourage you to check into their upcoming events.
They always have excellent offering you won’t see anywhere else, housed in a beautiful historical venue