Blume

Louise LawlerWW-2003-014880

2003·Cibachrome on aluminum box·114.9 × 128.9 cm (45 1/4 × 50 3/4 in.)

<p>Louise Lawler first rose to prominence in 1984, when she photographed the renowned collection of modern and contemporary masterworks owned by Mr. and Mrs. Burton Tremaine as it was installed in their Connecticut home. Since that time, Lawler has focused her camera on the installation of works of art to examine the institutional frameworks that determine their significance. The resulting photographs transcend pure documentation, occupying a key position within conceptual discourse. <em>Blume</em>, a recent icon in Lawler’s oeuvre, documents a Jeff Koons sculpture on display at Galerie Max Hetzler’s booth at Art Basel in 2003. Due to its highly reflective surface, the artwork becomes a vehicle for advertising other objects for sale; like the artist, it reflects and records the installation of surrounding art. Finally, Koons’s polished surface yields an unavoidable self-portrait of Lawler, with her camera, at the moment of photographic capture.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 2003
Medium: Cibachrome on aluminum box
Dimensions: 114.9 × 128.9 cm (45 1/4 × 50 3/4 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Louise Lawler

Artist

Louise Lawler

Photography

American artist Louise Lawler was born in Bronxville, New York, in 1947, and is a prominent member of the Pictures Generation alongside others such as Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger. She is also known for her pioneering work in appropriation and conceptual art, as well as institutional critique. Although she has worked in a number of mediums, her career-long use of photography is most well known, specifically her photos of other artist’s work – such as of exhibition installations and pieces in varying stages of storage.

New York City

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