Louise Lawler

Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York

Louise Lawler is one of the foremost members of The Pictures Generation, alongside other notable artists including Barbara Kruger and Sherrie Levine. She approaches institutional critique through acts of distortion; primarily the reframing and re-staging of artworks in altered images of museums, galleries, auction houses, and collectors’ homes. Formica (adjusted for the wall, Metro Pictures, Frieze, distorted for the times, slippery slope 2), taken at the Art Institute of Chicago, features a sculpture by Richard Artschwager and a painting by Agnes Martin. By destabilizing the original intention and reception of the works depicted, Lawler raises critical questions regarding authorship and the practice of exhibiting art.

Recent solo exhibitions of Lawler’s work include those at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; and Marc Jancou Chalet, Switzerland. Her work has been included in recent group exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland; the Rennie Museum, Vancouver; Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon, and was selected for inclusion the 1991, 2000, and 2008 Whitney Biennial.

Please note that while this auction is hosted on Sothebys.com, it is being administered by the Art Institute of Chicago’s Society for Contemporary Art (the “SCA”), and all post-sale matters (inclusive of invoicing and property pickup/shipment) will be handled by the SCA. As such, Sotheby’s will share the contact details for the winning bidders with the SCA so that they may be in touch directly post-sale.