Xmas tree in a living room in Levittown, L.I. 1962
About this artwork
Arbus is best known as a portraitist, but here she creates a portrait of a family by photographing an empty room, rather than the family itself. The room is decorated with all the furnishings of a middle-class, house-proud family: a plush carpet, a television in pride of place, a lamp covered with a plastic sheet (to protect it for visitors). The room is decorated for Christmas with an impressive tree that butts the ceiling and a large pile of extravagantly wrapped presents. Here, Arbus is focusing our attention on the ways in which people use their surroundings either to reveal, or in an attempt to improve their social standing, which links her work with that of contemporary social documentary photographers such as Martin Parr.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Diane Arbus (1923 - 1971) American
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title:Xmas tree in a living room in Levittown, L.I. 1962
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date created:1962
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materials:Gelatin silver print on paper
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measurements:36.80 x 37.60 cm (framed: 61.90 x 62.00 x 1.90 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
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accession number:AR00515
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gallery:
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus is one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. Born in New York City, she was working as a fashion photographer before she began to pursue an artistic career. Arbus made portraits of people from across society, but is best known for her powerful images of people...