Diane Arbus Quiz: Twins, Outsiders and Square Portraits

A New York photographer who started in fashion turned her camera on people society often ignored, and this Diane Arbus quiz explores her square-format portraits. Play 10 interactive questions on her fashion work with Allan Arbus, Lisette Model, twin-lens cameras, Identical Twins, Child with Toy Hand Grenade, the Jewish Giant, MoMA's New Documents show and her posthumous Venice Biennale honor.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
In which city was Diane Arbus born and based?
Start
What kind of photography did she do first?
Teacher
Which photographer's classes changed her direction?
Format
What shape are most of her famous images?
Twins
Where were her famous identical twins photographed?
Grenade
Where was Child with Toy Hand Grenade taken?
Giant
Which 1970 photo shows a very tall man with his parents?
Show
Which 1967 MoMA exhibition featured her work?
Venice
What honor did she receive in 1972?
Subjects
Which subjects is Arbus known for photographing?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: In which city was Diane Arbus born and based?
Answer: New York
She was born in 1923.
Q2: What kind of photography did she do first?
Answer: Fashion photography
She worked with husband Allan Arbus.
Q3: Which photographer's classes changed her direction?
Answer: Lisette Model
Model encouraged bold subjects.
Q4: What shape are most of her famous images?
Answer: Square
She used twin-lens cameras.
Q5: Where were her famous identical twins photographed?
Answer: Roselle, New Jersey
It was taken in 1967.
Q6: Where was Child with Toy Hand Grenade taken?
Answer: Central Park
The boy's expression is unforgettable.
Q7: Which 1970 photo shows a very tall man with his parents?
Answer: A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents in the Bronx
His name was Eddie Carmel.
Q8: Which 1967 MoMA exhibition featured her work?
Answer: New Documents
Garry Winogrand and Lee Friedlander also showed.
Q9: What honor did she receive in 1972?
Answer: First American photographer shown at the Venice Biennale
It came after her death.
Q10: Which subjects is Arbus known for photographing?
Answer: People on society's margins
She also photographed ordinary families.

Diane Arbus Quiz – Twins, Outsiders and Square Portraits

Diane Arbus, born in New York in 1923, began in fashion photography with her husband, Allan Arbus. After studying with Lisette Model, she turned to striking square-format portraits made with twin-lens cameras.

She photographed people on society's margins as well as ordinary New Yorkers. Famous images include Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967, and A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents in the Bronx.

Her work appeared in MoMA's 1967 New Documents exhibition. She died in 1971, and in 1972 she became the first American photographer shown at the Venice Biennale, while a MoMA retrospective drew huge crowds.

What This Quiz Teaches

Photography and art fans will enjoy these questions.

Who Arbus was
How she began
Which images are famous
Which shows featured her
Why her work matters

Did You Know?

Her twins photo is often compared to a scene in The Shining.
She often spent long periods with her subjects.
Her brother was poet Howard Nemerov.
Her prints are now highly valued.
The film Fur was loosely inspired by her life.