Diane Arbus

Diane Nemerov was born in 1923 in New York City. Her father owned a fashionable Fifth Avenue department store called Russeks. His wife, Gertrude Russeks', family founded it and it is now defunct. The family lived in an apartment on Central Park West as they were comfortably wealthy. They were a very prosperous family which lead to Diane's sheltered childhood. She was educated at the Fieldstone and Ethical Culture schools which were very progressive institutes. This …

…Her photographs speak to the conflict artists frequently confront: the self, alone in a world of others. Outside of the mainstream is where we increasingly find our most interesting artists working. Many people think she committed suicide because she couldn't bear the ugliness she saw in the world she photographed. This is probably not the reason as although what artists is deeply part of who they are, professional joys are very separate from private agonies.