Diane Arbus Revelations
Muscle men, midgets, socialites, circus performers and asylum  inmates: in the 1950s and '60s, photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971) cast her  strong eye on them all, capturing them as no one else could. Her  documentary-style photos of society's margin-walkers were objective and  reverential, while she often portrayed so-called normal people looking far  more freakish than the freaks. Her powerful work was well-received in its  day. Arbus received Guggenheim Fellowships in 1963 and 1966 and was  included in a major show at MOMA in 1967. But her work entered the realm of  near-myth after her 1971 suicide.Posthumously cast as everything from patron saint of the underdog to a crass  exploiter of the mentally challenged, Arbus has curiously never had a large  retrospective until the showRevelationswas organized by Arbus'  family and SF MOMA. The accompanying catalogue is an oversized, sumptuous,  beautifully printed tome. It includes all of the artist's iconic photographs  as well as many that have never been publicly exhibited, including many  pages of contact sheets, journal entries, and family snapshots. This work is  so strong, it's mind-blowing. The giant in his apartment with his parents  looks absolutely regal, his parents sad and confused. Are those crazy people  always so happy? And what to make of this moment of extreme tenderness  between a dominatrix and her client? This is a book worth hours of your  time.--Mike McGonigal