Triplets in Their Bedroom, N.J.

Diane Arbus’ body of work represents a census of post-war America. Roaming the streets of Manhattan armed with her camera and a keen eye for the outsiders and the idiosyncratic, she captured the unseen, the strange, and the mundane. Arbus’ world existed just below the surface of polite 20th century society but her lens was not judgmental. Instead, her images are mysterious, hiding just as much as they reveal. While she photographed people across society — those with disabilities, strippers, carnival workers and nudists — it is her images of twins and triplets that have endured the most. In their flat planes, the subjects look directly at the camera in soft confrontation. Kubrick’s twins in The Shining are undoubtedly inspired by Arbus’ images — both are characters of intrigue and unease, anomalous beauty that captivates. “A photograph”, Arbus said, “is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”