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Diane Arbus — Albino Sword Swallower at a Carnival, MD.
Diane Arbus

Albino Sword Swallower at a Carnival, MD.

A striking gelatin silver print by Diane Arbus capturing an albino sword swallower at a Maryland carnival, this image exemplifies Arbus's unflinching fascination with those who exist on the fringes of mainstream society. The stark contrast of the gelatin silver medium, printed posthumously by Neil Selkirk, enhances the raw, documentary intimacy that defined Arbus's signature style. The photograph invites the viewer into a world of sideshow performance and otherness, blurring the boundary between spectacle and humanity.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk.

🔨 Auction Lot

Photographs

October 3, 2017

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About this work

Diane Arbus, Albino Sword Swallower at a Carnival, MD.

A striking gelatin silver print by Diane Arbus capturing an albino sword swallower at a Maryland carnival, this image exemplifies Arbus's unflinching fascination with those who exist on the fringes of mainstream society. The stark contrast of the gelatin silver medium, printed posthumously by Neil Selkirk, enhances the raw, documentary intimacy that defined Arbus's signature style. The photograph invites the viewer into a world of sideshow performance and otherness, blurring the boundary between spectacle and humanity.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk.
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Renowned Photographer, Portrait Format, 20th Century, Humanist Photography, Mid Century Modern, Influential Photographer, Sideshow Culture, Unsettling Mood, Documentary Photography, Black and White Photography, Gelatin Silver Print, American Artist, Iconic Photographer, Carnival Subject Matter, Female Photographer, Portrait Photography, Street Photography, Somber Mood, Black and White, Carnival Subject

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