Test on Diane Arbus: American Photographer

Question 1: Diane Arbus photographed people who were visibly creating their own identities, including cross-dressers and tattooed men.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The study materials state that Diane Arbus was 'fascinated by people who were visibly creating their own identities—cross-dressers, nudists, sideshow performers, tattooed men, the nouveaux riches, the movie-star fans'.

Question 2: The photograph 'A young man in curlers at home on West 20th Street, N.Y.C. 1966' was first published in *Esquire* magazine.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: While Diane Arbus did publish photographs in *Esquire* starting in 1960, the study materials do not specifically state that 'A young man in curlers at home on West 20th Street, N.Y.C. 1966' was among them. The artwork is listed with its title and year, but no publication details are provided for this specific photograph.

Question 3: Which of the following statements accurately describes Diane Arbus's impact on the art of photography, according to the provided text?

A. She expanded notions of acceptable subject matter and challenged traditional ideas about the distance between a photographer and their subjects.

B. Her work transformed the art of photography and influenced many contemporary artists who make photographs.

C. Her imagery helped normalize marginalized groups and emphasized the importance of proper representation for all people.

D. She was the first photographer to have a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Explanation: The study materials state that Arbus 'expanded notions of acceptable subject matter and violates canons of the appropriate distance between photographer and subject'. It also notes that her work 'transformed the art of photography (Arbus is everywhere, for better and worse, in the work of artists today who make photographs)' and that 'Arbus's imagery helped to normalize marginalized groups and highlight the importance of proper representation of all people'. Therefore, options 0, 1, and 2 are correct. Option 3 is incorrect because while her 1972 MoMA retrospective garnered the highest attendance, the text does not state she was the *first* photographer to have a major retrospective there, only that it was 'The first major retrospective of Arbus' work'.

Question 4: Which of the following statements accurately describe the 1972 Diane Arbus retrospective at MoMA?

A. It was the first major retrospective of her work.

B. John Szarkowski organized the exhibition.

C. The accompanying book, *Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph*, has since gone out of print.

D. It set a record for the highest attendance of any exhibition in MoMA's history up to that time.

Explanation: The study materials state that the 1972 MoMA exhibition was the first major retrospective of Arbus' work and was organized by John Szarkowski. It also garnered the highest attendance of any exhibition in MoMA's history to date. However, the accompanying book, *Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph*, has never been out of print, making option 2 incorrect.

Question 5: All the provided photographs by Diane Arbus were taken exclusively within N.Y.C. city limits.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: One of the provided photographs, 'A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester, N.Y. 1968', was taken in Westchester, N.Y., which is not within N.Y.C. city limits.