“This summer, Park Avenue Armory and LUMA co-present the North American premiere of Constellation, the most comprehensive presentation of work by revolutionary photographer Diane Arbus to date. Bringing together more than 450 prints, many of them still unpublished, the exhibition offers new perspectives on Arbus’s iconic images and the breadth of humanity captured through her lens. Constellation invites viewers to chart their own course through the exhibition, revealing unexpected connections between the works and highlighting the alchemy of chance, chaos, and exploration that underlies creativity. Curated by Matthieu Humery and presented in the Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the exhibition comes to New York City—Arbus’s hometown and where she made most of her photographs—from June 5 through August 17, 2025, following its highly acclaimed debut at LUMA Arles.” — Park Avenue Armory 

“Diane Arbus’s work is inseparable from the spirit of New York—its streets, its people, its contradictions, and its beauty. We are thrilled to be partnering with LUMA and Maja Hoffmann for this presentation of Constellation which, in many ways, is a homecoming—a chance to experience her images in a setting that echoes the scale and complexity of the city that so deeply captivated her,” said Pierre Audi, the Armory’s Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director. “Just as Arbus once wandered the streets of New York in search of potential subjects, visitors are encouraged to meander through the installation and create their own encounters with the people and places that caught the artist’s eye.” 

Added Rebecca Robertson, the Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory, “The Armory is a place for discovery, where audiences can have new experiences even with the work of one of America’s most celebrated photographers. This inventive presentation breaks with the traditional ‘exhibition’ format, allowing visitors to step into the Drill Hall and immerse themselves within Arbus’s world—one marked by raw humanity, curiosity, and deep empathy.”

“Diane Arbus changed the way we see photography and, in many ways, the way we see ourselves. Constellation brings together some of her most powerful and intimate images and grants audiences the freedom to bring their own interpretation to the works,” said curator Matthieu Humery. “The emotional depth of her photographs is amplified within the Armory’s Drill Hall, drawing viewers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the familiar is revealed anew. It is an honor to present this exhibition in such a singular setting, where Arbus’s vision can resonate in profound and unexpected ways.” 

“What I like about this show is that it is totally unconventional, a comprehensive body of work presented in a fractal way,” said Maja Hoffmann, Founder and Executive Chairperson of LUMA Foundation and LUMA Arles. “The show was meant for Arles as an experiment. Presenting it in New York is certainly a challenge, but it reflects LUMA Foundation’s mission to engage new contexts and audiences in the ongoing interpretation of Diane Arbus’s work.”

Title image: Diane Arbus: Constellation, 2025, Park Avenue Armory. Artwork © The Estate of Diane Arbus Collection Maja Hoffmann/LUMA Foundation. Photo: Nicholas Knight. 

Images courtesy Park Avenue Armory.