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Diane Arbus

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Stephen A. Frank, born 26 Apr 1947
Sitter
Diane Arbus, 14 Jul 1923 - 26 Jul 1971
Exhibition Label
“That’s just a kid with a hand grenade,” photographer Diane Arbus quipped, as she faced a group of magazine editors at a 1970 presentation in New York City. Arbus, who during her short life created incisive and evocative artworks, may have uttered similar words at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) that same year.
Stephen Frank took this photograph of Arbus when she was at RISD, delivering a lecture for students of Harry Callahan, another influential photographer. As Frank remembers, Arbus “talked fast, breathlessly, as if there was not enough time to get it all out.” Her intensity comes through in this image, which has become one of the most widely circulated portraits of the artist.
“Es simplemente un niño con una granada en la mano”, bromeó la fotógrafa Diane Arbus ante un grupo de editores de revistas en una conferencia en Nueva York en 1970. Arbus, quien durante su corta vida produjo un arte incisivo y evocador, debe haber dicho cosas parecidas a los estudiantes de la Escuela de Diseño de Rhode Island (RISD), durante otra conferencia ese mismo año.
Stephen Frank capturó este retrato de Arbus cuando ella estaba en RISD ofreciendo una conferencia a los estudiantes del fotógrafo Henry Callahan. Frank recuerda que Arbus “hablaba rápido, sin respiro, como si no hubiera tiempo para todo lo que tenía que decir”. Su intensidad se refleja en esta foto, uno de sus retratos más divulgados.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1970
Object number
NPG.85.41
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Stephen Frank
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 16 × 23.3 cm (6 5/16 × 9 3/16")
Sheet: 20.3 × 25.3 cm (8 × 9 15/16")
Mat: 35.6 × 45.7 cm (14 × 18")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Interior
Artwork\Photograph
Diane Arbus: Female
Diane Arbus: Visual Arts\Artist\Photographer
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.85.41
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4aaa45658-ea3f-4e6d-836a-f92496575e82

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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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