Untitled (7)

1970–71, printed later

Not on view

In the final years of her life Diane Arbus sought and received permission to photograph individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Untitled (7) was made on a visit to the Vineland Developmental Center in 1969. Soon after, Arbus wrote to her former husband, “I took the most terrific pictures. The ones at Halloween in NJ … They are so lyric and tender and pretty.” While in reality these characters were simply navigating a Halloween parade, the photograph evokes tableaux of centuries past such as Bruegel the Elder's The Blind Leading the Blind (1568). In both works, a group follows a pilgrimage from left to right across the picture plane. The fate of Bruegel’s subjects is revealed as they follow one another downhill into a ditch, whereas in Untitled (7) the future that awaits the figures beyond the frame remains unknown.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: Untitled (7)
Artist: Diane Arbus (American, New York 1923–1971 New York)
Date: 1970–71, printed later
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: Image: approx. 14 1/2 × 14 7/8 in. (36.8 × 37.8 cm)
Sheet (trimmed): 16 × 16 in. (40.7 × 40.7 cm)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Gift of Julie Jones, 2020
Object Number: 2020.375
Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

By Diane Arbus

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Woman with bangs, N.Y.C., Diane Arbus American, Gelatin silver print — Woman with bangs, N.Y.C.
Diane Arbus
1961

Couple in their living room hugging, Diane Arbus American, Gelatin silver print — Couple in their living room hugging
Diane Arbus
1971

[Diane Arbus Typewritten Letter to Stewart Stern]

Diane Arbus

Stewart Stern

ca. August–September 1968

[Diane Arbus Self-Portrait in an Automated Photobooth]

Diane Arbus

ca. 1965

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