Diane Arbus’ work did not die with the end of the 60s, nor did it die with her suicide in 1971. Her work continues to inspire urban street culture as well as popular culture. As many of you may have already realized, the picture on the right is that of a scene from the famous film “The Shining.” In the film is an iconic scene where twin girls appear as ghosts, dressed eerily identically, one smiling, one frowning. This idea did not appear out of nowhere, it was directly taken form a 1967 Arbus photograph, “Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J., 1967.” Arguably one of Arbus’ most iconic photographs, its legacy is heightened immensely by its reference in one of cinema’s most revered films. Arbus has also retained a popular following, as evidenced through the usage of her image “Child with Toy Hand Grenade In Central Park” in street art. Both professionally and on the amateur level, Arbus is known and respected.

Arbus also had a documentary created about her in the year following her death. Her estate was taken over by her daughter, Doon Arbus, following her death. Many of her pictures are withheld from the media including her pictures of transgender people from 1957-65, as well as her early commercial work. This makes it hard for the public to access the full library of Arbus’ work, even in the information age. In 2007, her archives were given to the MoMA as a gift, however. Post-mortem, she had works displayed at the MoMA, Venice Biennale, and many others. Retrospectives and other exhibitions about Arbus and her work travelled the world in the 1970s and again in the 2000s. Many works have been published about Diane Arbus, including several unofficial biographies. She has even had a full-length feature film done about her in 2006. Needless to say, Diane Arbus has had and continues to have a very large influence on the public, both consciously and subconsciously. Between the documentaries, films, books, and cultural references, Diane Arbus has left a tremendous impact on not only the world of photography, but also the general art world.