Chromogenic colour print

100.6 x 100.6 cm

The Desert and a bit of Mountain II is one of Louise Lawler’s photographs showing the works of Agnes Martin and Alexander Calder displayed on the walls of Christie’s, an auction house. Yet, it is difficult for one to infer the correct location by looking at the photograph alone, as they are more likely to think of a museum space. Indeed, this photograph was taken at a time when the boundaries between museums and auction houses were beginning to blur, as auction houses started producing museum-level presentations and catalogues. As the institutional and commercial aspects of art become entangled in each other, how does one know if the value of an artwork is determined by its institutional appeal or its commercial success? As Lawler’s early photography relied on visual contrasts between different contexts to provoke discussion, her later embracement of the lack thereof also highlights the increasing social complexity of the art world over time.