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Lorna Simpson Collages
"Black women's heads of hair are galaxies unto themselves, solar systems, moonscapes, volcanic interiors."
—Elizabeth Alexander, from the Introduction
Using advertising photographs of black women (and men) drawn from vintage issues of Ebony and Jet magazines, the exquisite and thought-provoking collages of world-renowned artist Lorna Simpson explore the richly nuanced language of hair. Surreal coiffures made from colorful ink washes, striking geological formations from old textbooks, and other unexpected forms and objects adorn the models to mesmerizingly beautiful effect.
Featuring 160 artworks, an artist's statement, and an introduction by poet, author, and scholar Elizabeth Alexander, this volume celebrates the irresistible power of Simpson's visual vernacular.
—Elizabeth Alexander, from the Introduction
Using advertising photographs of black women (and men) drawn from vintage issues of Ebony and Jet magazines, the exquisite and thought-provoking collages of world-renowned artist Lorna Simpson explore the richly nuanced language of hair. Surreal coiffures made from colorful ink washes, striking geological formations from old textbooks, and other unexpected forms and objects adorn the models to mesmerizingly beautiful effect.
Featuring 160 artworks, an artist's statement, and an introduction by poet, author, and scholar Elizabeth Alexander, this volume celebrates the irresistible power of Simpson's visual vernacular.
- GenresArtNonfictionPhotography
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
4 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Lorna Simpson
21 books2 followersLorna Simpson received her BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, New York, and her MFA from the University of California, San Diego. When Lorna Simpson emerged from the graduate program at San Diego in 1985, she was already considered a pioneer of conceptual photography. Feeling a strong need to re-examine and re-define photographic practice for contemporary relevance, Simpson was producing work that engaged the conceptual vocabulary of the time by creating exquisitely crafted documents that are as clean and spare as the closed, cyclic systems of meaning they produce. Her initial body of work alone helped to incite a significant shift in the view of the photographic art’s transience and malleability.
Lorna Simpson first became well-known in the early 1990s for her large- scale photograph-and-text works that confront and challenge narrow, conventional views of gender, identity, culture, history and memory. With unidentified figures as a visual point of departure, Simpson uses the figure to examine the ways in which gender and culture shape the interactions, relationships and experiences of our lives in contemporary America. In the mid-1990s, she began creating large multi-panel photographs printed on felt that depict the sites of public – yet unseen – sexual encounters. Over time she turned to film and video works in which individuals engage in enigmatic conversations that seem to address the mysteries of both identity and desire. Throughout her body of work, Simpson questions memory and representation, whether in her moving juxtaposition of text and image, in her haunting video projection Cloudscape and its echo in the felt work Cloud, or in her large-scale video installation Momentum which recreates a childhood dance performance. Using the camera as a catalyst, Simpson constructs work comprising text and image, parts to wholes, which comment on the documentary nature of found or staged images. In Simpson’s latest works, characteristic ambivalence is presented with hazy ink washes to present isolated figures amidst nebulous spaces– a return to and departure from her earlier unidentified figures in a deepened exploration of contemporary culture.
Her works have been exhibited at and are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Haus der Kunst; Munich amongst others. Important international exhibitions have included the Hugo Boss Prize at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, Documenta XI in Kassel, Germany, and the 56th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. She was awarded the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2019. Lorna Simpson is represented by Hauser & Wirth.
Lorna Simpson first became well-known in the early 1990s for her large- scale photograph-and-text works that confront and challenge narrow, conventional views of gender, identity, culture, history and memory. With unidentified figures as a visual point of departure, Simpson uses the figure to examine the ways in which gender and culture shape the interactions, relationships and experiences of our lives in contemporary America. In the mid-1990s, she began creating large multi-panel photographs printed on felt that depict the sites of public – yet unseen – sexual encounters. Over time she turned to film and video works in which individuals engage in enigmatic conversations that seem to address the mysteries of both identity and desire. Throughout her body of work, Simpson questions memory and representation, whether in her moving juxtaposition of text and image, in her haunting video projection Cloudscape and its echo in the felt work Cloud, or in her large-scale video installation Momentum which recreates a childhood dance performance. Using the camera as a catalyst, Simpson constructs work comprising text and image, parts to wholes, which comment on the documentary nature of found or staged images. In Simpson’s latest works, characteristic ambivalence is presented with hazy ink washes to present isolated figures amidst nebulous spaces– a return to and departure from her earlier unidentified figures in a deepened exploration of contemporary culture.
Her works have been exhibited at and are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Haus der Kunst; Munich amongst others. Important international exhibitions have included the Hugo Boss Prize at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, Documenta XI in Kassel, Germany, and the 56th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. She was awarded the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2019. Lorna Simpson is represented by Hauser & Wirth.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 5, 2019
Wow, wow, wow. Just gorgeous. I love every one. The art is 10 stars, I wish there was more about Lorna Simpson but I'll take it. Buy this gorgeous book.
June 16, 2018
An inspiring blend of intuitive collage style and watercolor whimsy. A beautiful showcase from a longtime art maverick.
December 17, 2025
Really beautiful work. I love how she used these images from Jet and Ebony
June 3, 2024
“ Black women’s heads of hair are galaxies unto themselves, solar systems, moonscapes, volcanic interiors”
Honestly cried, looking at the beautiful curated collection of artworks created by Lorna Simpson.
Honestly cried, looking at the beautiful curated collection of artworks created by Lorna Simpson.
June 25, 2018
The Introduction in this collection of collages sets up the pieces you see from Lorna Simpson really well. There's also an Artist Statement that shows phrases used in the advertisements that held the model photos used in Simpson's work. The power in seeing all of these phrases is especially of note. For me, the "Riunite & Ice" section really captured my attention, but the entirety of the book was wonderful.
To be honest, I hadn't been knowingly aware of Simpson's work prior to seeing this collection, but realized I had seen her "Jet Amestista" piece on the front cover of the book by Kathleen Collins. Glad I was able to pick up this collection.
To be honest, I hadn't been knowingly aware of Simpson's work prior to seeing this collection, but realized I had seen her "Jet Amestista" piece on the front cover of the book by Kathleen Collins. Glad I was able to pick up this collection.
July 15, 2021
Lorna Simpson is brilliant! Elizabeth Alexander….also brilliant, captures the spirit of Simpson’s work in her introduction….
“Black women’s heads of hair are galaxies unto themselves, solar systems, moonscapes, volcanic interiors… “
“Black women are all the books in the ancient library of Alexandria, Egypt. Black women are Hammurabi‘s code and the Rosetta Stone: vexation and answer, secret and revelation.”
The collages are divided by the following headings: Earth and Sky, Ebony, Jet and Riunite & Ice. Some of these works stopped my breath, so stunning. Majestic, serious, demure, soft, fierce…
“Black women’s heads of hair are galaxies unto themselves, solar systems, moonscapes, volcanic interiors… “
“Black women are all the books in the ancient library of Alexandria, Egypt. Black women are Hammurabi‘s code and the Rosetta Stone: vexation and answer, secret and revelation.”
The collages are divided by the following headings: Earth and Sky, Ebony, Jet and Riunite & Ice. Some of these works stopped my breath, so stunning. Majestic, serious, demure, soft, fierce…
June 26, 2018
I love these collages and wish I could see them in person. Lorna Simpson is now represented by Hauser & Wirth. They just finished an inaugural exhibition of her work in London. Hoping there's a show in the Los Angeles gallery soon.
February 21, 2019
I liked this book. It's a quick read and the collages are stunning.
My favorite section was "Jet" because the words added to the artwork's narrative.
I'd recommend this book to artist's, art enthusiasts, and those who like watercolors, crystals, and collages.
My favorite section was "Jet" because the words added to the artwork's narrative.
I'd recommend this book to artist's, art enthusiasts, and those who like watercolors, crystals, and collages.
June 14, 2023
Lorna Simpson's work is amazingly creative, although a little too repetitive. She has experimented with black faces and alternative ways of depicting their hair, using water color, collage and other materials. It's a fascinating body of work.
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October 5, 2018709.2 S6134s 2018
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews