buying Diane Arbus prints?

January 18, 2006 12:44 AM

I'd like to own a print of a Diane Arbus picture.

There are so many of them I like. My favorite is her self-portrait with child. I'm interested in two things, really:

a) How could I acquire a high-quality, but not necessarily original, print of an Arbus photo?
b) How could I acquire an actual original print?

I haven't found any good resources via googling, but maybe someone here can help me.

Thanks!

posted by thethirdman to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Can't speak for a, but as for b?

Plan on going to an auction and spending a boatload of money. We are, after all, talking about one of the most important and influential photographers of the 20th century.
posted by incessant at 1:02 AM on January 18, 2006

Response by poster: Maybe I'm going to get that answer a lot. I should add, then, that I am more interested in the possibility of something costing tens of thousands or even, perhaps, ones of thousands.

I should also say that I did some googling that seemed to suggest that such a thing was possible, but didn't really specify how one would go about such a thing.

Thanks for the link, it definitely gave me an idea. I'll need to be a little richer before I can play in that field. :)
posted by thethirdman at 1:25 AM on January 18, 2006

There are some for sale here and here. If you are in no hurry then it's worth signing up with Christies, who will alert you via email whenever a specific artist is coming up for auction.

This is worthwhile as prices can vary quite substantially for similar works, depending on the territory they are being sold in, and the type of sale. You may pay more for a Diane Arbus print in a specific Arbus sale than say a single photograph of hers included in a misc. photography sale, so it can be worth biding your time.
posted by fire&wings at 4:36 AM on January 18, 2006

I think if you aim for one of her more famous or popular prints you may be out of your league. But she has a huge body of work. If that is what you desire then start doing some research. You can get in contact with dealers to do the legwork for you but they will take a cut. I would think you may be able to get a decent print for the price of a new mac.
posted by JJ86 at 6:05 AM on January 18, 2006

For a), find a museum that has prints you're interested in and ask if they make reproductions for personal home use. I work in the rights and reproductions department at the National Gallery of Canada, and we often make small (8x10) prints of many of the works in our collection for people to frame and enjoy in their homes.
The key is to state that you are not going to be reproducing this in any sort of publication.

You may also have to contact the rights holders for Arbus' works, Pelosi & Wolf LLP. Their mailing address is:
350 Broadway Suite 301
New York, NY 10013
posted by deadtrouble at 7:10 AM on January 18, 2006

it's worth signing up with Christies

... and Sothebys.
posted by grumblebee at 7:11 AM on January 18, 2006

In addition to contacting the rights holders, you might want to contact "The Estate of Diane Arbus LLC." They likely track auctions/sales of her work. To locate contact information you might find it by way of Google and/or contacting the International Center for Photography. Also, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art had Arbus exhibits in the past two years. Someone in their members office might be able to provide info.
posted by ericb at 8:06 AM on January 18, 2006

What you want is an authorized, posthumous print. I think Neil Selkirk is pretty much the only photographer with access to the negatives and the permission of the Arbus estate to create these. Perhaps you could contact him directly?

I've found a few such Arbus prints via eBay (though I'm afraid I'm not able to bid on them, sadly). In fact, there's one available now.

My understanding is that these prints are occasionally made available by and sometimes signed by her daughter, Doon. While not exactly cheap, these are far less expensive than prints made by and signed by Diane herself.

Good luck! Someday I hope I'm able to consider a similar purchase.
posted by aladfar at 10:07 AM on January 18, 2006

You might want to contact CNN's Anderson Cooper. He may have one.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 12:10 PM on January 18, 2006

More like a 360.
posted by ericb at 4:22 PM on January 18, 2006

Cooper is Gloria Vanderbilt's son?! Whoa.
posted by deborah at 9:04 PM on January 18, 2006