ARTIST ROOMS Diane Arbus is a touring exhibition that brings together a remarkable body of work by the influential American photographer. Diane Arbus (1923–1971) was a pioneer of the social documentary form that blurred the line between art and reportage. Her profoundly original works record the astonishing variety of attitudes, emotions, and appearances to be found among the people around us.
The exhibition spans the breadth of Arbus’s career, beginning with early works from the mid–1950s taken with a 35mm camera, to the distinctive square format she adopted from 1962. A highlight in the exhibition is A box of ten photographs 1969–71, a rare portfolio of original prints which Arbus selected to represent who she was as an artist and how she saw her work in the world.
Shetland Museum and Archives is an award-winning multifunctional visitor attraction in the heart of Shetland’s capital town of Lerwick. The Museum and Archives is managed by the Shetland Amenity Trust, a small charity caring for Shetland's natural and cultural heritage. This is the trust's second collaboration with ARTIST ROOMS, following a presentation of Don McCullin in 2014.
ARTIST ROOMS Diane Arbus is touring nationally throughout 2023 and 2024 at the following venues:
- Barnsley Civic Museum, Barnsley, 22 March – 25 June 2023
- Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, 29 April – 29 July 2023
- Shetland Museum and Archives, Lerwick, 19 August – 12 November 2023
- North Hertfordshire Museum, Hitchin, 2 December 2023 – 25 February 2024
ARTIST ROOMS is a touring collection of international modern and contemporary art, presenting the work of individual artists in solo exhibitions. Its national programme reaches audiences across the UK and is developed through local partnerships. ARTIST ROOMS draw from a national collection jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland that includes major bodies of work by international artists. ARTIST ROOMS gives young people the chance to get involved in creative projects, to discover more about art and artists, and learn new skills.
The ARTIST ROOMS programme and collection is managed by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland with the support of Art Fund, Henry Moore Foundation and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Creative Scotland. Its founding collection was established through The d'Offay Donation in 2008 with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and the Scottish and British Governments.
