
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.
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Phillips
🔨 Auction Lot
Photographs Evening & Day
October 5, 2016
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