IN this first ever ARTIST ROOMS exhibition, Fife Cultural Trust are thrilled to present the work of leading American photographer, Diane Arbus, at Kirkcaldy Galleries from Saturday 14th February to Sunday 31st May 2015.

Famous for photographing individuals marginalised by society, Diane Arbus refused to take pictures of her subjects in ways that people wanted to see them, challenging concepts of identity, beauty and normality.

Her unapologetic approach to photography revealed the complexities of human nature and relationships, making the ordinary extraordinary and the misunderstood familiar.

The exhibition will explore how her work reflected the social, political and economic changes taking place throughout the United States between the 1950s and 1970s. Featuring twenty of her seminal pieces, this exhibition highlights how Arbus challenged the viewer to see beyond the shocking to the complexities of each individual subject. The works on display are taken from ARTIST ROOMS, an inspirational collection of modern and contemporary art acquired for the nation by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland through the generosity of Anthony d’Offay with additional support from funders, including the Art Fund. The ARTIST ROOMS tour programme, now in its seventh year, is showing at 15 museums and galleries across the UK in 2015. The tour is made possible thanks to the support of Arts Council England, the Art Fund, and in Scotland, Creative Scotland.

Bespoke programmes, workshops and tours offered during the duration of the exhibition will explore the wider influence of the artist and the power of her work. After hours events will the give the public a more intimate opportunity to interact with the works, while complimentary exhibition material and new interactive multimedia features at Kirkcaldy Galleries will provide an opportunity for visitors to share their thoughts about the artist and her work.

Fife Contemporary Art & Craft will curate a complementary exhibition alongside the ARTIST ROOMS show, entitled Portraits+. The issue of identity has been explored by artists using many different materials, and this exhibition will bring together a range of unusual contemporary approaches, some using photography as a start or end point, as science and art come together to surprise us and reveal new viewpoints.

Stuart Cross, chair of the Fife Cultural Trust board said, “I am delighted that Fife Cultural Trust has secured an exhibition of such prestige for our wonderful refurbished facility at Kirkcaldy Galleries. The display of work by a revered, world class artist like Diane Arbus is a marvellous honour, and collaborating with such illustrious, well-known national institutions as Tate and National Galleries of Scotland, shows both the standing and potential of the Galleries.’ The exhibition of work by Diane Arbus, at Kirkcaldy Galleries, will run from Saturday 14th February to Sunday 31st May 2015.