This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/26/2025
Diane Arbus “The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance N.Y.C." 1970 Original Gelatin Silver Print.
Offered here is an incredibly rare original Gelatin Silver Print of Diane Arbus. Date: 1970.
Dimensions: Approx 16 x 20 in.
Diane Arbus's photograph of an elderly couple dressed in theatrical robes, gowns, and crowns to signify their accolades at a Senior Citizens Dance sagely dramatizes the relationship between youth and age. The couple's less-than-enthusiastic expressions provide a comical, almost cruel irony to the royal portrait. Arbus uses amateur costume and subtle styling to accentuate the couple's tired disinterest in the spectacle and its rewards. The king sits with his crown askew, blazer and trousers overshadowed by his too-long faux-fur cape, his scepter at the ready. The queen is perched with her legs uncomfortably dangling, hands patiently, if uncaringly, resting on her gift and scepter. Her 1950s wingtip glasses contrast her antiquated, bejeweled tiara. An event that would excite a young couple seems overly familiar and somewhat taxing to these two. While Arbus encourages us to see the subtle irony and dark comedy of the portrait, she poignantly reminds us of our own undeniable aging process, however much we try to bedazzle it.
Accompanied by Christie's Auction Tag.
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."
This is one of the only known surviving examples of this image, directly from Diane Arbus.
Seriously one-of-a-kind.
Good condition.
Authentication: Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.