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
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
$6,800
H 48 in W 31 in D 2.5 in
Tumsae No 7 - red, white, abstract, contemporary, industrial felt wall sculpture
By Chung-Im Kim
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Striking organic shapes in bright red provide dramatic contrast in this cream felt tapestry by fabric artist Chung-Im Kim. Kim meticulously hand stitches together small pieces of ind...
Felt, Thread, Mixed Media, Screen
$3,000
H 60 in W 47.5 in D 1 in
Cradle Song, Rare Serigraph on Linen Canvas, Hand Signed, 60x47.5 in.
Located in Aventura, FL
Embellished serigraph on linen canvas. Hand signed, titled and numbered by the artist. From the edition of 85. Artwork size 55 x 42 inches. Custom framed as pictured. Frame siz...
Screen, Canvas, Linen
$4,415
H 37 in W 29 in
Marilyn For Ever Screenprint, Signed Edition of 95, 2021, Framed
By Mr. Brainwash
Located in London, GB
Mr. Brainwash Marilyn For Ever, 2021 screenprint on hand torn archival art paper 30 x 22 inches - paper size 37 x 29 inches - framed size edition of 95 signed and numbered. Mr. Brain...
Screen
$3,500
H 13 in W 10 in D 6 in
Hyang #2 - blue, white, red, abstract, industrial felt wall sculpture
By Chung-Im Kim
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This intriguing wall composition is by Chung-Im Kim, an award-winning fibre artist whose exquisite work has been showcased and celebrated internationally. In this handmade sculptural...
Felt, Thread, Mixed Media
$7,490
H 43.71 in W 43.71 in
Al Pacino - Celebrity Art by Johnny Depp, Famous Actor, Heat, Godfather, Serpico
By Johnny Depp
Located in Manchester, GB
Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, 2022 Silkscreen and archival pigment prints in colours on Deckle Edged Waterford 111 × 111 cm (43 7/10 × 43 7/10 in) Edition of 188 of195 Hand-signed by the...
Screen
$320Sale Price|34% Off
H 18 in W 24 in
Harmonious Elements (New Orleans, Jazz Inspired, Preservation Hall Tribute)
By Shepard Fairey
Located in Kansas City, MO
Shepard Fairey Harmonious Elements Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper Year: 2025 Size: 18 x 24 inches (45.72 x 60.96 cm) Edition: 500 Signed by Shepard Fairey, dated and n...
Screen
$7,490
H 43.71 in W 43.71 in
Heath Ledger - Celebrity Artwork by Johnny Depp, A Knights Tale, The Dark Knight
By Johnny Depp
Located in Manchester, GB
Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, 2023 Colour Silkscreen and Archival Pigment on 640gsm Waterford paper with deckled edge. Sheet size 100 x 100 cm (39.37 x39.37 in) Framed size 111.5 x 111...
Screen
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 22 in W 30 in D 1 in
"Debbie Harry, Max's Kansas City, 1976"
By Bob Gruen
Located in North Adams, MA
Silkscreen and diamond dust on canvas Dimensions: 22" x 30" An edition of 25 Signed and numbered by the Artist Bob Gruen is one of the most well-known and respected photographers in Rock and Roll. By the mid 1970's he was already regarded as one of the foremost documenters of the scene working with major artists such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Kiss and others, also covering the emerging New Wave and Punk bands including The New York...
Canvas, Screen
$8,000
H 48 in W 48 in D 4 in
Moolbora - white, textured, biomorphic, abstract, industrial felt wall sculpture
By Chung-Im Kim
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary white and blue-gray tapestry was hand-sewn by Canadian fabric artist Chung-Im Kim. Inspired by her own rich heritage and intricate patt...
Felt, Thread, Mixed Media
$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
Blue, Grey and White
By Dianne Baker
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original conceptual sculpture by contemporary artist Dianne Baker, created in 2015 using wood, paint, metal, rubber and plexi.
Metal
Portrait & Head
By George Condo
Located in Manchester, GB
By George Condo 2024 33 colour silkscreen with spot colours on 600gsm Somerset Tub Sized Radiant White paper 86 x 75 cm Edition of 150
Paper, 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...