The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance, N.Y.C.

1970, printed later

Diane Arbus American, 1923-1971

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About the Artwork

Diane Arbus was influenced by press photographer Weegee and his images of New York crime scenes and street life; she was also a student of Lisette Model, who often exploited her subjects as isolated figures in a stark, unflattering manner. In the square format portraits characteristic of her work, Arbus incorporated the humor of Weegee’s graphic, urban style and the sardonic representations of human existence prevalent in the work of Model. The image is typical of Arbus’s documentary style, which appears both as a record and as an insight into the psychology of the subjects depicted.

While employed as a press photographer, Arbus was assigned to a senior citizens’ dance.
She wrote this caption: “Their numbers were picked out of a hat. They were just chosen King and Queen of a senior citizens’ dance in N.Y.C. Yetta Granat is 72 and Charles Fahrer is 79. They have never met before.”

Title The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance, N.Y.C.

Artwork Date 1970, printed later

Artist Diane Arbus

Life Dates 1923-1971

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Gelatin silver print

Dimensions Image: 16 × 15 3/8 inches (40.6 × 39.1 cm) Sheet: 19 7/8 × 16 7/8 inches (50.5 × 42.9 cm)

Classification Photographs

Department Prints, Drawings & Photographs

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Mary Martin Semmes Fund, Barbara L. Scripps Fund, Edna Burian Skelton Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. F80.174

Markings

Signed Signed, on verso: Doon Arbus

Marks Stamp on verso, upper left: not to be reproduced in any way without | written permission from Doon Arbus. Stamp on verso in black ink, upper right: a diane arbus print #6972-6-IU-1620 | doon arbus administrator Doon Arbus

Provenance

(Edwyn Houk Gallery, New York, New York, USA);
1980-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Diane Arbus, The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance, N.Y.C., 1970, printed later, gelatin silver print. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Mary Martin Semmes Fund, Barbara L. Scripps Fund, Edna Burian Skelton Fund, F80.174.