Louise Lawler AMERICAN, b. 1947

In a continuation of the institutional critique espoused by Conceptual artists such as Marcel Broodthaers, Daniel Buren, Hans Haacke, and Michael Asher, photographer Louise Lawler questions the very purpose and nature of art. Often presenting “behind-the-scenes” views of the art world, Lawler has photographed the Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach art fairs, the Museum of Modern Art, Christie's auction house, and various galleries. Some of her best-known works include photographs of uniformed art handlers carefully transporting a Gerhard Richter painting, Maurizio Cattelan's giant Picasso head in plastic wrapping, and a Damien Hirst spin-painting shown through a closet door.