Laurie Simmons (b. 1949) is one of the leading figures in contemporary conceptual photography. Her major body of work ushered in a generation of appropriation and criticism of iconography, gender, and film tropes.

Since the mid-70s, Simmons has photographed elaborate scenes with dolls, ventriloquist dummies, mannequins, and occasionally people, to create images that reference (and often subvert) domestic scenes or literary episodes. 

The images touch upon psychological, political, or conceptual themes - especially in terms of female representation and objectification. 

In this image "Untitled (Woman’s Head)" a doll’s head is suspended in a dreamy blurred scene. This black and white photograph is an exceptional early work from her highly influential practice.

Simmons expanded the artistic potential of the photographic medium by using her camera to document her delicately staged miniature scenes. Simmons’ use of tiny characters and objects paired with an extremely shallow depth of field has become an unmistakable trademark. These techniques often distort her images to challenge the viewer’s sensory perceptions.  

From her early photographs of dolls acting like humans to more recent explorations of humans who resemble dolls, Laurie Simmons has spent her career blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy. 

Since the early 1980s, Simmons has been at the forefront of the New York City art scene at Pictures Generation that appropriated media and visual culture in their image-making to engage with dialogues of feminist and post-modern theories.

Simmons' practice consistently explores how gender is depicted in visual culture, in film, fashion magazines, art history, and here in the domestic realm. 

Laurie Simmons has exhibited internationally and her work belongs in the collections of the International Center of Photography, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Tate, the Stedelijk Museum, and more. 

This limited edition print was included in a 1993 portfolio by October Magazine alongside works by Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, and more. 

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"Untitled (Woman’s Head)" 

USA, 1976

Gelatin Silver Print on fiber paper 

Edition of 50

5.25"H  8"W (image)

Signed, titled, and dated in pencil on verso 

Very good condition