Tattooed man at a carnival, Md

Diane Arbus was one of the most original and influential photographic artists of the twentieth century. She was based in New York, where her career as a photographer spanned just over a decade, from the late 1950s until her death in 1971, aged just forty-eight. Her work was inspired by her curiosity about people and the way individuals inhabit their lives. While her subjects included middle class families and children, Arbus was particularly drawn to those living on the fringes of society. She sought them out in sideshow alleys and carnivals, at nudist camps, and by roaming the streets and parks of New York. Her images can seem confrontational and at times disconcerting to the viewer, yet they are underpinned by her genuine fascination with the nature of the individual sitter.

This compelling portrait was taken at a carnival in Hagerstown, Maryland. Arbus has photographed her subject at close proximity, which has the effect of drawing our attention to his face. While each viewer will ‘read’ his eyes differently, they have been described as having an ‘unexpectedly soulful expression’.1

Julie Robinson, Senior Curator Prints, Drawings and Photographs

1. National Galleries Scotland online collection, https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/92901/tattooed-man-carnival-md-1970, accessed 21 April 2021