WHAT: “Masterpieces & Curiosities: Diane Arbus’s Jewish Giant”
WHEN: April 11-August 3
WHERE: The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Avenue, New York
WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS: Diane Arbus’s mysterious photograph “A Jewish giant at home with his parents, in the Bronx, N.Y., 1970” has been the subject of study and debate by scholars and historians for years. Now, the image is the centerpiece of the second exhibition in deputy director Jens Hoffmann’s series that showcases special objects from the Jewish Museum’s permanent collection, “Masterpieces & Curiosities.” “Diane Arbus’s Jewish Giant,” curated by Daniel S. Palmer, confronts the mythology surrounding Arbus’s iconic image of immigrant performer Eddie Carmel and his parents by sorting through the facts and fiction of his life, Arbus’s photographic process, and pop cultural narratives that explore the concepts of “normalcy” and “otherness” that the famous black and white photograph so strongly evoke.
Arbus’s photograph depicts Carmel hunched over and leaning on a cane while towering over his petite gawking parents in a dark, dramatically lit, and seemingly miniature modest living room. Rumors have circulated that the image is meant to show Carmel’s family’s awe and even horror at his monstrous size (which was due to a hormonal condition called acromegaly), but Palmer’s detective work clears a path towards Arbus’s true intentions. While walking through the exhibition, he told ARTINFO that the photographer’s relationship with Carmel and his family spanned 10 years, and the famous image was actually one of many taken during that session. Other photographs in the series (not included in the exhibition but used by Palmer for research) show a different side to the story, revealing Carmel standing tall and embracing his parents. They unravel the myth that his home life was out of the ordinary.
The exhibition also includes family photos carefully framed and placed atop a mantel, providing intimate insight into Carmel’s life and the banality of his childhood. On the other side of the room a pair of oversized, misshapen shoes from his last years are placed close to the floor to allow viewers the chance to see the toll his condition took on his body.
Palmer balances these artifacts with ephemera from Carmel’s stage performances, and even imagery of the biblical tales of Goliath and Golem. All together they drive home the point that notions of “otherness” have plagued society for centuries, and that Arbus’s photo is a prime example of how the mythology surrounding a work of art can outgrow the artist’s original concept.
Click on the slideshow to see images from the exhibition.
A correction to the second paragraph of this article was made on July 2, 2014.
