Diane Arbus: A Chronology is the closest thing possible to a
contemporaneous diary by one of the most daring, influential and
controversial artists of the twentieth century. Drawn primarily from
Arbus' extensive correspondence with friends, family and colleagues,
personal notebooks and other unpublished writings, this beautifully
produced volume reveals the private thoughts and motivations of an
artist whose astonishing vision derived from the courage to see things
as they are and the grace to permit them simply to be. Further rounding
out Arbus' life and work are exhaustively researched footnotes that
amplify the entire chronology. A section at the end of the book provides
biographies for 55 family members, friends and colleagues, from Marvin
Israel and Lisette Model to Weegee and August Sander. Describing the
Chronology in Art in America, Leo Rubinfien noted that Arbus...wrote
as well as she photographed, and her letters, where she heard each
nuance of her words, were gifts to the people who received them. Once
one has been introduced to it, the beauty of her spirit permanently
changes and deepens one's understanding of her pictures. The texts in
Diane Arbus: A Chronology originally appeared in Diane Arbus:
Revelations. This volume makes this invaluable material available in an
accessible, unique paperback edition for the very first time.
