AGO acquires Diane Arbus photographs
The Art Gallery of Ontario has acquired a cache of works by one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
With the addition of 522 photos from the estate of Diane Arbus, the AGO now holds the largest Arbus collection in Canada and the second largest in the world after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the AGO says.
Arbus is “one of those rare artists who becomes more, not less relevant, with time,” CEO Stephan Jost said in a news release.
“What fascinates me about Arbus is how she always talked about photographing the margins of society. But in Toronto today, these ‘margins’ have become part of the mainstream and what we celebrate as part of our vibrant diversity.”
Arbus lived and died (in 1971) and took most of her photos in New York City, according to the Met, which held a major exhibit of her work last year. That museum called her “one of the most provocative artists of the 20th century.”
“Her photographs of children and eccentrics, couples and circus performers, female impersonators and Fifth Avenue pedestrians are among the most intimate and surprising images of the era.”
The AGO’s Arbus haul includes photos such as “Female impersonators in mirrors, N.Y.C., 1958” and “Victorious wrestler in the ring, N.Y.C., 1957.” Others remained unseen during Arbus’s lifetime.
The AGO also acquired portraits that Arbus took for magazines such as Esquire, the New York Times Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar, including James Brown, Mia Farrow, Coretta Scott King and Norman Mailer.
It hasn’t been revealed when the photos will go on public display, but the gallery says the acquisition is part of its effort to build a photography collection “that reflects the artistic, historical and social impact of the medium.” Debra Yeo