Citation

Czach M. History of Photography 1995; 19(2): 100-106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995)

DOI

10.1080/03087298.1995.10442404

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

It is impossible to consider the body of work Diane Arbus produced during her short career as a photographer without remembering that she took her own life in 1971. In the same way, it is impossible to read Sylvia Plath's or Anne Sexton's poetry without thinking about the fact that they, too, died by their own hands.4Privacy is the very last thing Arbus's suicide earned for her. With the passage of time, the Arbus legend -- like those spun around the lives of Plath and Sexton -- grows rather than diminishes. Most recently, a performance, a play and a short story have appeared, adding to the Arbus myth and reviving questions about her life, her death and the meaning of her work. Despite the vigorous efforts of survivors and literary executors to control perceptions of these artists' personal histories, the details of their lives, real and imagined, have captured readers' imaginations and have entered the public domain. The Arbus legend, perhaps now more than ever, has become the point of origin for a cult following, which continues to gather momentum well beyond photographic circles. © 1995 Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Language: en