Diane Arbus
PHOTOGRAPHER (1923 - 1971)
Diane Arbus was an American photographer,
most known for her black and white portraits
of those who were marginalised by society,
such as transgender people and those with
mental illnesses. Her images help to convey
the variety of identities there are in society,
Arbus's distinctive style had her subjects
looking directly at the camera, creating a
sense of vulnerability and a relationship
between them and the viewer. During the
1960s she received two Guggenheim
Fellowships for her artwork. Posthumously
Arbus was selected as the first photographer
to represent the United States of America for
the Venice Biennale in 1972. That same year
a retrospective of her work at MOMA became
the highest attended exhibition of all time.
Carolee Schneemann
VISUAL EXPERIMENTAL ARTIST
(1939 - present)
Carolee Sheemann was an American visual
experiment artist, known for her multimedia
works on the body, narrative, sexuality and
gender. Originally an Abstract Expressionist
painter, Schneeman was uninterested in the
masculine heroism of New York painters of
the time and turned to performance-based
work, primarily characterized by research into
visual traditions, taboos, and the body of the
individual in relation to social bodies. Though
she was noted for being a feminist figure, her
works explore issues in art and rely heavily on
her broad knowledge of art history. Unlike
much other feminist art, Schneemann's
revolves around sexual expression and
liberation, rather than referring to victimization
or repression of women.
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