Louise Lawler

Lawler's artistic focus revolves around photographing portraits of other artists' work, with particular emphasis on the environments in which they are situated and the techniques employed in their creation.

Louise Lawler's Art Style

Louise Lawler probes the essence of art, questioning its production, dissemination, and the institutional, economic, and ideological structures that underpin its existence and presentation. Central to Lawler's practice is the act of photographing artworks within various settings such as museums, galleries, auction houses, storage facilities, and collectors' homes. Through meticulous cropping and manipulation, she transforms these images into objects, employing a straightforward yet impactful photographic approach that encompasses both minuscule and monumental scales, occasionally distorting them to adhere to precise conceptual principles.

As a prominent figure of the Pictures Generation, Lawler emerged alongside contemporaries like Sarah Charlesworth, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Sherrie Levine in the late 1970s. This period coincided with the ascendancy of postmodern theory in the New York art scene. Lawler's work is distinguished by its steadfast feminist stance, anti-war activism, and dedication to institutional critique and collaboration.

Exhibitions of Lawler's Works

Louise Lawler has exhibited her works extensively in numerous solo and group showcases. Her solo shows have been held at various prestigious venues worldwide, such as Sprüth Magers in Berlin and London, Yvon Lambert in Paris, Galerie Greta Meert in Brussels, Studio Guenzani in Milan, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Museum for Gugenwartskunst in Basel, and many other esteemed venues. 

Her art has been showcased in group exhibitions, including Manifesta 11: The European Biennial of Contemporary Art (2016), the 10th Shanghai Biennale (2014), the Whitney Biennial (2008, 2001, 1991), the 10th Biennale of Sydney (1996), among others.