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Diane Arbus — Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C., 1962
Diane Arbus

Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C., 1962

A young boy stands tensely in Central Park, his face contorted into an unsettling grimace as he clutches a toy hand grenade in one clenched fist, his other hand dangling awkwardly at his side. Arbus captures an uncanny duality in the child's demeanor, blending the innocence of childhood with an almost manic intensity that feels strangely adult and disturbing. The stark black-and-white gelatin silver print heightens the psychological tension of the image, transforming an ordinary moment in a public park into a haunting meditation on aggression and vulnerability.

Medium
Gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk.

🔨 Auction Lot

Photographs Evening & Day

October 5, 2016

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About this work

Diane Arbus, Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C., 1962

A young boy stands tensely in Central Park, his face contorted into an unsettling grimace as he clutches a toy hand grenade in one clenched fist, his other hand dangling awkwardly at his side. Arbus captures an uncanny duality in the child's demeanor, blending the innocence of childhood with an almost manic intensity that feels strangely adult and disturbing. The stark black-and-white gelatin silver print heightens the psychological tension of the image, transforming an ordinary moment in a public park into a haunting meditation on aggression and vulnerability.

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

Related themes

Acclaimed Photographer, Influential Photographer, Unsettling Mood, Documentary Photography, 20th Century Photography, Gelatin Silver Print, American Artist, Urban Setting, Female Photographer, Square Format, Portrait Photography, Street Photography, Mid-Century Photography, Black and White, Childhood Subject

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