From collaging photos from ads in vintage issues of Jet and Ebony magazines to breaking down subjects into fragments of hair or the body, Lorna Simpson (b. 1960) takes a conceptual approach to photography in her ongoing examination of identity.
Whether it’s the 21 lithographs printed on felt of various hairstyles for her Wigs (Portfolio) (1994) or her Guarded Conditions (1989) series, which calls out the violence that Black women encounter with its fragmentation of a woman’s body across color Polaroid prints, Simpson’s best-known projects comprise text and image to confront conventional ideas of beauty, gender and race. In particular, she uses her own experiences in radical work that often challenges universally perpetuated beauty standards that have long excluded Black women.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, where she continues to live and work, Simpson initially took documentary photographs as she traveled the world in the 1970s. She then studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and the University of California San Diego, earning her MFA in visual arts there in 1985. It was in graduate school in the 1980s that Simpson shifted her perspective in photography to grapple with complex ideas of objectivity. Some of her early projects combined text with studio images, mostly of Black women, to highlight how photographs are shaped by both context and expectations. Later expanding into film, painting, drawing and sculpture, Simpson has retained that interest in representation and memory at the center of her work, regardless of medium.
In 1990, Simpson became the first Black woman to exhibit at the Venice Biennale, and her career has included solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Find art by Lorna Simpson on 1stDibs.
$1,960Sale Price|20% Off
III (Wish #1, Wish #2, Wish #3) Set of 3 Wishbones - Peter Norton Christmas Gift
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Soquel, CA
III (Wish #1, Wish #2, Wish #3) Set of 3 Wishbones - Peter Norton Christmas Gift Fanciful set of three different wishbones by Lorna Simpson (American, b. 1960). Three wishbones, one...
Bronze
$8,800
Recall from the Exit Art/1st World Portfolio Silkscreen on Felt, Pencil Signed/N
By Lorna Simpson
Located in New York, NY
LORNA SIMPSON Recall, from the Exit Art/The First World Portfolio, 1998 Silkscreen on Felt 30 × 22 inches Hand signed and numbered 17/50 on the front Unframed This impressive silkscr...
Felt, Screen
"Square Deal, Square Meal, Squared Away" (Chanterelle menu)
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lorna Simpson (b. 1960) is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork, regardless of medium, explores the interplay between historical memory, cu...
Silver Gelatin, Letterpress
Recall by Lorna Simpson
By Lorna Simpson
Located in New York, NY
Lorna Simpson Recall, 1998 Silkscreen on felt 30 x 22 inches Edition of 50 Hand signed and numbered by the artist
Felt, Screen
Jaybirds
By Adam Jahiel
Located in Sante Fe, NM
For years, Jahiel has been photographing the cowboys of the Great Basin–perhaps one of the most inhospitable regions of the already rugged West. These people represent one of the l...
Silver Gelatin
Alto Arizona
By Shepard Fairey
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A print by Shepard Fairey. “Alto Arizona” is a contemporary, popular culture screenprint in black, red, and white by American street artist Shepard Fairey. The artwork is signed iin pencil, lower right, "Shepard Fairey 10", lower middle, "EAY 10" (Ernesto Yerena...
Screen
$4,600
H 14 in W 11 in D 0.07 in
Girl with Flag - Black and White Photograph, Black Artist, Child, Portrait
By Earlie Hudnall Jr.
Located in Denton, TX
Girl with Flag by Earlie Hudnall, Jr., presents a portrait of a young African American girl holding a small American flag. She is dressed in white, and looking over her shoulder. She stares into the distance with a blank, almost melancholy look on her face. Signed, titled, and dated by Earlie Hudnall, Jr in pencil on print verso. Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in. *Images and video show photograph in size 20 x 16 in. Frame not included Earlie Hudnall, who is one of the most notable African American photographers...
Silver Gelatin
$2,500
H 17.5 in W 12.5 in D 3 in
Mutation 10 - small, white, geometrical, 3D, felt, fabric, biomorphic, wall art
By Chung-Im Kim
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Fabric artist Chung-Im King’s series of felt tapestries called “Mutation” consist of striking geometrical shapes that mimic designs found in nature. The artist has cut pure white fel...
Felt, Thread, Mixed Media
Unavailable|$3,200
H 19 in W 18 in D 9 in
Hand Made, Woven and Crocheted Abstract Fiber Sculpture, Yarn, Felt, Mixed Media
By Ethan Meyer
Located in St. Louis, MO
Hand Made, Woven and Crocheted Abstract Fiber Sculpture, Yarn, Felt, Mixed Media Groot Foundation Grant Honorable Mention Recipient 2025 "My work, both in painting and sculpture, i...
Felt, Yarn, Glass, Mixed Media
$1,500
H 18.5 in W 21.5 in D 1 in
Four After the Party, Hand Embellished Serigraph On Linen, 120/150, Framed
By Itzchak Tarkay
Located in Aventura, FL
Serigraph in colors on linen with hand embellishment in acrylic paint. Hand signed lower front by Itzchak Tarkay. Hand signed lower front by Itzchak Tarkay. Hand numbered 120/150 ...
Canvas, Screen, Acrylic
$1,500
H 24 in W 18 in
Shepard Fairey Fall Of American Freedom Fine Art Contemporary Screenprint Obey
By Shepard Fairey
Located in Draper, UT
Manufacturer Obey Giant Edition Details Year: 2026 Class: Fine Art Print Status: Official Run: 175/550 Technique: Screen Print Paper: 80# Cream Speckletone Size: 18 X 24 Markings: Si...
Screen
$4,500
H 39 in W 27 in D 4 in
Contemporary Fiber Art, Needle Felted "Painting" with Hand Stitched Wrapped Edge
By Ethan Meyer
Located in St. Louis, MO
Contemporary Fiber Art, Needle Felted "Painting" with Hand Stitched Wrapped Edge Hangs on wall via french cleat Groot Foundation Honorable Mention Recipient 2025 "My work, both in...
Textile, Felt, Yarn, Foam, Wood
$410
H 17.72 in W 22.84 in D 1.42 in
Limited Edition Black and White Photographic Art Print "Embracing the Shadow"
By Gary Hirson
Located in Cape Town, ZA
A limited edition (out of 25) black and white photographic print. Framed with a black wood-grain box frame and floated to the white backboard. The dimensions of 45 x 58 cm is the dim...
Archival Paper, Giclée
Varanasi, India
By Pentti Sammallahti
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Pentti Sammallahti is a benchmark figure in contemporary Finnish photography. His works depict nature eroded and broken down by civilization, but he does not put man and the environm...
Silver Gelatin
$278Sale Price|20% Off
H 11.82 in W 5.91 in D 1.58 in
Domino Seven. Modular Wall Relief Sculpture in White Foam Clay on Wood Panel
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
White foam-clay domino wall relief in mixed media on black wood panel, a tactile modular sculpture exploring form, void and repetition. This mixed-media wall sculpture employs foam ...
Enamel
$2,939Sale Price|25% Off
H 29.53 in W 22.05 in
Thank You for Keeping Still Whilst I Painted You - Signed Print Edition of 125
By David Shrigley
Located in London, GB
14 colour screenprint on Somerset Satin Tub sized 410 gsm paper with a varnish overlay 75 x 56 cm Edition of 125 (+12 AP) hand-signed and numbered on the back. David Shrigley, a Bri...
Screen
Partition and Time
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lorna Simpson is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork, regardless of medium, explores the interplay between historical memory, culture, and...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled
By Lorna Simpson
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color electrostatic heat transfer on wool felt. Signed, dated and numbered 13/250 in ink by Simpson. Printed by Jeffrey Ryan, 21 Steps Editions, Albuqu...
Wool, Felt, Color
Wigs
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lorna Simpson (b. 1960) is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork explores the interplay between historical memory, culture, and African-Amer...
Silver Gelatin
Van Der See Prop Vase
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lorna Simpson (b. 1960) is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork explores the interplay between historical memory, culture, and African-Amer...
Screen
Partition and Time
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lorna Simpson is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork, regardless of medium, explores the interplay between hi...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled
By Lorna Simpson
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print (Edition of 25) Signed, dated, and numbered, verso 14 x 11 inches, sheet This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Much of Lorna Simpson’s work incorporates images of hair along with short, vague texts in order to comment on issues of race. This artwork illustrates the artist’s interest in representations of gender. Kobena Mercer writes: “Within racism’s bipolar codification of human values, black people’s hair has been historically devalued as the most visible sign of blackness, second only to skin.” [“Black Hair/Style Politics,” Out There: Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures (New York City: The New Museum of Contemporary Art, 1990), p. 249] By employing pubic hair...
Silver Gelatin
Partition and Time
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Lorna Simpson is an American artist renowned as a pioneer of conceptual photography. Her artwork, regardless of medium, explores the interplay between historical memory, culture, and...
Silver Gelatin
Sold
H 26.25 in W 33.5 in
Lorna Simpson-Backdrops Circa 1940-26.25" x 33.5"-Serigraph-1998-Photography
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Hand signed, dated in pencil on the reverse by Simpson. This piece is a diptych containing two serigraphs printed on felt panels. The figures in this di...
Screen
Untitled
By Lorna Simpson
Located in New York, NY
Gelatin silver print (Edition of 25) Signed, dated, and numbered, verso 14 x 11 inches, sheet This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Much of Lorna Simpson’s work incorporates images of hair along with short, vague texts in order to comment on issues of race. This artwork illustrates the artist’s interest in representations of gender. Kobena Mercer writes: “Within racism’s bipolar codification of human values, black people’s hair has been historically devalued as the most visible sign of blackness, second only to skin.” [“Black Hair/Style Politics,” Out There: Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures (New York City: The New Museum of Contemporary Art, 1990), p. 249] By employing pubic hair...
Silver Gelatin
Untitled, 1995 Electrostatic heat transfer on white felt
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Surfside, FL
Lorna Simpson was born in 1960 in Brooklyn, New York, and received her BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, New York, and her MFA from the University of California, S...
Felt
Easy To Remember (15 Mouths)
By Lorna Simpson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
each 10 x 8 inches (image size 1 5/8 x 3 1/4 inches), edition of 40, signed and numbered Born in Brooklyn, New York, she attended the High School of Art and Design and the School of...