New Diane Arbus 'psychobiography' sheds new light about the photographer

A new biography exploring the life of Diane Arbus is set to shed new light on one of the great post-war black and white photographers to have emerged from the US.

Not to be confused with a photobook of her work – there are plenty of quality publications out there – An Emergency in Slow Motion: The Inner Life of Diane Arbus by William Todd Schultz is definitely a worthy edition to the body of knowledge surrounding Arbus.

Schultz spent a lot of time interviewing Arbus' psychotherapist, which, together with her fragments of her own writing, has led to the production of a book he has described as "psychobiography".

Kathryn Harrison, author of The Kiss, said: "William Todd Scultz has done the impossible; he's pulled Diane Arbus out from under the black shroud of the photographer's cape and into the light."

One of the things highlighted by Schultz is how Arbus would use her own torment and displacement and project them onto her subjects, creating fascinating pieces of work.

It is ultimately a tragic story. Arbus, at the age of 48, after a lifelong battle with depression, took her own life in 1971.