One of Us. One of Us.

Related Content

• "The Rum Diary": Giddy, High-Speed Tale Never Hits Full Velocity
  November 2, 2011
• The Right to Be Deranged
  September 28, 2011
• Italian Duo Crookers on Naming Albums While Tipsy, and Their North American Tour
  September 15, 2011
• Speed Dating at the Library -- No, Really
  January 5, 2011
• Ibogaine has helped addicts kick meth and heroin. Is it the trip that does the trick?
  November 17, 2010

More About

• Diane Arbus
• Traci Vogel
• Hunter S. Thompson
• Visual Arts
• Photography

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Running into a friend outside the 49 Geary building during First Thursday, we felt compelled to utter a stupidity: "Diane Arbus is a genius." Our friend, Traci Vogel, is SF Weekly's art writer -- of all people to make an obvious remark to, we had chosen poorly. Vogel is well aware that one of the United States' most famous photographers is talented. But we plead insanity: At "Christ in a Lobby and Other Unknown or Almost Known Works," standing face-to-face with actual prints -- made by Arbus herself -- can really make you feel like Hunter S. Thompson. Which is good, but crazy. Her androgynous teenagers, fuddled nudists, and those perfect little old weird ladies -- their compositions have gravitational power, and can cause head fog. The star of the show is an unfamiliar photo of a familiar subject: The beehive mom, alone in a room with the baby, sans sad husband and contorted seven-year-old, has the exact same operatic-tragedian look on her face as she does in the iconic "Woman With a Beehive Hairdo."
Jan. 7-March 6, 2010