Film Screenings

Masters of Photography (1972) & “Who is Marvin Israel” (2005)

Extended as a public program of Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956-1971, join us on Friday, September 1st for a dual film screening featuring Masters of Photography (1972) Directed by John Musilli and “Who is Marvin Israel” (2005), Directed by Neil Selkirk and Doon Arbus.

The screenings are presented in conjunction with the exhibition Diane Arbus: Photographs 1956- 1971, on view until September 17, 2023.

Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956-1971 is organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario.

*Kindly note that some of the language and terms you hear in the films are no longer currently in use as attitudes around gender, race, ability and other forms of difference have evolved.

About the Films

Masters of Photography
1972, 28’/ English 
Directed by John Musilli

This insightful documentary about Diane Arbus from 1972 explains her powerful work through interviews with her daughter Doon, teacher Lisette Model, colleague Marvin Israel, and John Szarkowski, then director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art. The film was released a year after her death; and at the same time as the retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art, and a feature at the Venice Biennale.

“Who is Marvin Israel”
2005, 42’ / English 
Directed by Neil Selkirk and Doon Arbus

Documentary on the enigmatic Marvin Israel (1924–1984); artist, designer, art director and teacher. Israel’s influence on Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Lisette Model and Lee Friedlander, among others, is explored in the words of those who knew him.

About Neil Selkirk

Neil Selkirk is a photographer. Shortly after he arrived in New York from London in 1970 he met Diane Arbus. He took her master class and after her death wound up being the only person ever authorized to make posthumous prints of her work. His own work has appeared in all the major US magazines and his photographs are in museum collections across the United States.

About Doon Arbus

Doon Arbus is a writer and the elder daughter of Diane Arbus. As a free-lance journalist, she collaborated with her mother on several magazine pieces. Since her mother’s death almost fifty years ago, Doon Arbus has been responsible for the preservation and dissemination of the photographer’s work, producing a number of iconic monographic books and museum exhibitions. Her novel, The Caretaker, was published by New Directions in 2020.

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Film Screenings

Masters of Photography (1972) & “Who is Marvin Israel” (2005)

Extended as a public program of Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956-1971, join us on Thursday, July 20th for a dual film screening featuring Masters of Photography (1972) Directed by John Musilli and “Who is Marvin Israel” (2005), Directed by Neil Selkirk and Doon Arbus.

The screenings are presented in conjunction with the exhibition Diane Arbus: Photographs 1956- 1971, on view until September 17, 2023.

Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956-1971 is organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario.

*Kindly note that some of the language and terms you hear in the films are no longer currently in use as attitudes around gender, race, ability and other forms of difference have evolved.

About the Films

Masters of Photography
1972, 28’/ English 
Directed by John Musilli

This insightful documentary about Diane Arbus from 1972 explains her powerful work through interviews with her daughter Doon, teacher Lisette Model, colleague Marvin Israel, and John Szarkowski, then director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art. The film was released a year after her death; and at the same time as the retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art, and a feature at the Venice Biennale.

 “Who is Marvin Israel”
2005, 42’ / English 
Directed by Neil Selkirk and Doon Arbus

Documentary on the enigmatic Marvin Israel (1924–1984); artist, designer, art director and teacher. Israel’s influence on Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Lisette Model and Lee Friedlander, among others, is explored in the words of those who knew him.

About Neil Selkirk

Neil Selkirk is a photographer. Shortly after he arrived in New York from London in 1970 he met Diane Arbus. He took her master class and after her death wound up being the only person ever authorized to make posthumous prints of her work. His own work has appeared in all the major US magazines and his photographs are in museum collections across the United States.

About Doon Arbus

Doon Arbus is a writer and the elder daughter of Diane Arbus. As a free-lance journalist, she collaborated with her mother on several magazine pieces. Since her mother’s death almost fifty years ago, Doon Arbus has been responsible for the preservation and dissemination of the photographer’s work, producing a number of iconic monographic books and museum exhibitions. Her novel, The Caretaker, was published by New Directions in 2020.

Supported By

SOLD OUT

Curator’s Talk: Sophie Hackett on Diane Arbus

Extended as a public program of Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956-1971 curator Sophie Hackett walks us through the genesis of this curatorial project, highlighting key works from Arbus’ celebrated practice.

Diane Arbus: Photographs, 1956-1971 is organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario.

About the Speaker

Sophie Hackett

Curator

Sophie Hackett has been a member of the AGO’s department of photography since 2006. During her tenure she has curated numerous exhibitions and collection reinstallations, written and contributed to countless publications, participated on international juries and maintained an active academic profile. She was a Graduate Intern at the J. Paul Getty Museum in its department of photographs, and completed a Master’s Degree in Visual Art at the University of Chicago. She is currently an adjunct faculty member in Ryerson University’s Master’s degree program in Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management, and was a 2017 Fellow with the Center for Curatorial Leadership. Hackett’s area of specialty is 19th and 20th century vernacular photography.

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