Arbus, Diane. Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph. Text by Arbus from tape recordings of classes she taught.

Aperture, 1972, 1973. First edition, 8th printing. Wraps, stamped 'hurt' at bottom of first blank page but no significant defects. Includes photo of woman with monkey not in first printing. Custom made 4-mil polyester jacket. Photos accompanying this listing were made with the jacket on, causing reflections. Summary:

Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph is a famous photography book presenting the work of Diane Arbus, an influential American photographer known for her powerful and sometimes unsettling portraits of people in American society.

Summary

The book is a collection of about 80 photographs taken by Arbus during the 1950s and 1960s. Published in 1972 shortly after her death and edited by Doon Arbus and Marvin Israel, it introduced many viewers to the full range of her work for the first time.

Arbus’s photographs focus on people who were often overlooked or considered unusual in society. Her subjects include circus performers, nudists, transgender people, children, couples, and everyday individuals in cities and suburbs. Through direct, close-up portraits, she shows the individuality and humanity of each person she photographs.

A major theme of the book is the exploration of difference and identity. Arbus intentionally photographed people who lived outside conventional social norms, challenging viewers to confront their own ideas about normality and strangeness. Her images often feel intense and personal, as her subjects look directly at the camera, creating a sense of confrontation and honesty.

The monograph also reflects Arbus’s belief that photography can reveal the inner lives and psychological complexity of people. Instead of idealized images, she presents people exactly as they are, encouraging viewers to look closely at individuals they might normally ignore or judge.

Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph is a landmark photography book that presents striking portraits of diverse and unconventional people, exploring themes of identity, difference, and humanity while challenging viewers to see others with greater understanding.

Diane Arbus (1923–1971) was an influential American photographer celebrated for her striking, intimate black-and-white portraits that captured marginalized communities and unconventional subcultures in postwar America. Born into a wealthy New York City family, she began her career in commercial and fashion photography alongside her husband, Allan Arbus, before pursuing independent artistic projects in the mid-1950s under the mentorship of Lisette Model. Transitioning to a square 6x6 medium-format camera, Arbus established a raw, direct visual style characterized by intense eye contact between subject and viewer, photographing circus performers, transgender people, nudists, and everyday individuals on the fringes of society. Her groundbreaking inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art's influential 1967 New Documents exhibition solidified her critical reputation, and despite her tragic death by suicide at age 48, her psychological approach to portraiture fundamentally reshaped documentary photography and earned her a posthumous legacy as one of the 20th century's most defining visual artists.