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Diane Arbus: An Icon
Diane Arbus: An Icon
January 8, 2026
Diane Arbus: Triplets in their Bedroom, N.J. 1963
© The Estate of Diane Arbus, Maja Hoffmann / LUMA Foundation Collection
Comprised of 454 photographs – including works that have not been shown outside of this compilation – the showcase offers new perspectives on one of the most original photography artists of the 20th century. With her bold black-and-white images and multi-faceted portraiture, Diane Arbus radically challenged the aesthetic conventions of her time. New York City was at the centre of much of Arbus’s career, which spanned from the late 1950s until her untimely death in 1971.
“For me the subject of the picture is always more important than the picture. And more complicated,” the photographer famously maintained. Powerful, expressive, and unflinchingly honest, her outstanding oeuvre has also become a fascinating portrait of the post-war United States.
The retrospective exhibition at the Gropius Bau takes the form of a labyrinthine ‘constellation’ of photographs, which follows neither a chronological nor a thematic order. Instead, it invites viewers to wander freely among the images, discovering the resonances and relationships between them. The showcase is organised by LUMA Arles in collaboration with the Gropius Bau, Berlin, and was curated by Matthieu Humery.
Katrin Ullmann“For me the subject of the picture is always more important than the picture. And more complicated,” the photographer famously maintained. Powerful, expressive, and unflinchingly honest, her outstanding oeuvre has also become a fascinating portrait of the post-war United States.
The retrospective exhibition at the Gropius Bau takes the form of a labyrinthine ‘constellation’ of photographs, which follows neither a chronological nor a thematic order. Instead, it invites viewers to wander freely among the images, discovering the resonances and relationships between them. The showcase is organised by LUMA Arles in collaboration with the Gropius Bau, Berlin, and was curated by Matthieu Humery.
Diane Arbus: Triplets in their Bedroom, N.J. 1963
© The Estate of Diane Arbus, Maja Hoffmann / LUMA Foundation Collection
Diane Arbus: Two female impersonators backstage, N.Y.C. 1962
© The Estate of Diane Arbus, Maja Hoffmann / LUMA Foundation Collection
Diane Arbus: Tree in a Living Room in Levittown, L.I. 1962
© The Estate of Diane Arbus, Maja Hoffmann / LUMA Foundation Collection