Diane Arbus
Bishop by the sea, Santa Barbara, Cal.

Image Not Available for Bishop by the sea, Santa Barbara, Cal.

© Estate of Diane Arbus

Bishop by the sea, Santa Barbara, Cal.
Image Not Available for Bishop by the sea, Santa Barbara, Cal.
ArtistAmerican, 1923–1971
PrinterAmerican, born England, 1947
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Bishop by the sea, Santa Barbara, Cal.
Date1964, printed later
Place depictedSanta Barbara, California, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 14 11/16 × 14 7/8 in. (37.3 × 37.8 cm)
Sheet: 19 7/8 × 16 1/16 in. (50.5 × 40.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Clinton T. Willour in honor of Alexandra Marshall
Object number89.126
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
DescriptionA
former New York folk singer, the eccentric Bishop Ethel Predonzan claimed she
was summoned to Santa Barbara, California, to become a spiritual adviser. In
her notes, Diane Arbus described her as a “small lady in damask robes with
hairs of phosphorescent pink hold[ing] aloft a styrofoam cross.”

ProvenanceClinton T. Willour, Houston; given to MFAH, 1989.
Exhibition History"Photographic Masterworks: Recent Acquisitions from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Glassell School, January 23–March 4, 1990.

"Diane Arbus Revelations," San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, October 25, 2003–February 8, 2004; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, February 29–May 31, 2004; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 27–September 6, 2004; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, February 28–May 30, 2005; Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany, June 17–September 17, 2005; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, October 13, 2005–January 15, 2006; La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain, February 14–May 14, 2006; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, June 17–September10, 2006.

"40 Years of Discovery: Gifts of Clint Willour," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 9–October 14, 2018.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
verso, lower left corner in pencil: 01466


verso top right in ink: Doon Arbus
verso top left a stamp: Not to be reproduced in any way without / written permission from Doon Arbus.
verso top right a stamp with additions in ink: A Diane Arbus photograph 7/75 / title BISHOP BY THE SEA, L.A., / CAL. 1964 / print by NEIL SELKIRK / Doon Arbus

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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