Recent Acqusitions: Laurie Simmons

Laurie Simmons, Woman/Red Couch/Newspaper, 1978, from Early Color Interiors, 1978–79

Laurie Simmons, New Bathroom/Woman Standing, 1979, from Early Color Interiors, 1978–79

Laurie Simmons, Woman/Gray Chair/Green Rug, 1978, from Early Color Interiors, 1978–79

In her early color work, American photographer Laurie Simmons attempted to recreate “a mood from the time I was growing up: a sense of the ’50s that I knew was both beautiful and lethal at the same time.” Rather than using live models, Simmons posed small, brightly colored plastic dolls in well-decorated dollhouse interiors. These dolls perform tasks of household drudgery or simply sit and stare into space. The well-orderedness of these domestic spaces provides no satisfaction, only loneliness and alienation.