Objects of desire: the seductive exchange between fine art and advertising photography
At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) ‘Objects of Desire: Photography and the Language of Advertising’ explores how contemporary artists have imitated, appropriated and exploited the language of commercial photography
![Two cream cakes with a cherry on top.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RBpyKVbERGfqf8fmeXCvsQ-415-80.jpg)
What is art without manipulation? What is advertising photography without seduction? A new group show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will prove that in these two worlds, the exchange flows both ways. Titled ‘Objects of Desire: Photography and the Language of Advertising’, the exhibition delves into how artists have borrowed the motifs and strategies of commercial photography and reimagined them for a fine art context.
By the mid-20th century, the world had left war-induced frugality behind. The consumer golden age had arrived, and with it, an advertising strategy built on the psychology of desire. As the emphasis shifted from ‘need’ to ‘want’, compelling visual advertising was at the heart of the game. By the 1970s, technological innovations were increasing the potential of photography; artists began to exploit the language of advertising for creative expression. They asked: what exactly do these images want from us?
Elad Lassry, Persian Cucumbers, Shuk Hakarmel, 2007, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Ralph M. Parsons Fund and Marc J. Lee, © Elad Lassry, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA
‘Objects of Desire’ dives into this underexplored exchange between art, advertising and photography. ‘No other medium has such diversity in its application,’ exhibition curator Rebecca Morse explained in a statement. ‘The exhibition places commercial photography at its centre – examining where artists have imitated its look, appropriated its content, adopted its distribution methods, and generally exploited what has historically belonged to a strain of photography in the service of commerce.’
Although the majority of works are drawn from LACMA’s collection, with many notable pieces from the 1980s and 90s acquired when they were first created, the show also features recent acquisitions and contemporary works to highlight the ever-complex relationship between fine art and commercial photography. The show features photography, film, sculpture and multimedia work by artists including Robert Heinecken, Victoria Fu, Roe Ethridge, Lucas Blalock, Jo Ann Callis, Sarah Charlesworth, Elad Lassry and Hank Willis Thomas, alongside works on view beyond the museum walls, such as a billboard by Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel, and a mock advertisement by Chris Burden.
Hank Willis Thomas, Believe It, 2010. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. © Hank Willis Thomas. All rights reserved, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA
Hank Willis Thomas, Believe It, 2010. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. © Hank Willis Thomas. All rights reserved, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA
Image from Toiletpaper (December 2012), courtesy of the artists and LACMA Balch Art Research Library. © Toiletpaper magazine (Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari), photo courtesy of Toiletpaper
Lucas Blalock, Untitled (deck prism), 2009, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, © Lucas Blalock, digital image courtesy of the artist
Lucas Blalock, Untitled (deck prism), 2009, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, © Lucas Blalock, digital image courtesy of the artist
INFORMATION
'Objects of Desire: Photography and the Language of Advertising', 4 September - 18 December 2022, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). lacma.org
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Alexander May, founder of LA studio Sized, on the joys of creative polymathy
Creative director Alexander May tells us of the multidisciplinary approach that drives his LA studio Sized and its offspring, a 5,000 sq ft event space and an exhibition series
By Hannah Silver Published
-
50 of America’s top creatives, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh
Photographed exclusively for Wallpaper* by Inez & Vinoodh, we present a portfolio of 50 creatives driving the current discourse on American culture and its dynamic evolution
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Los Angeles art exhibitions: the best shows to see in July
Read our pick of the best Los Angeles art exhibitions to see this month, from Mickalene Thomas at The Broad to Ed Ruscha at LACMA
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Nona Faustine confronts the past in New York
Artist Nona Faustine reframes New York's colonial past in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum
By Hannah Silver Published
-
How the west won: Ivan McClellan is amplifying the intrepid beauty of Black cowboy culture
In his new book, 'Eight Seconds: Black Cowboy Culture', Ivan McClellan draws us into the world of Black rodeo. Wallpaper* meets the photographer ahead of his Juneteenth Rodeo
By Tracy Kawalik Published
-
Zanele Muholi celebrates South Africa’s Black LGBTI communities in LA and London
Zanele Muholi's portraits and sculptures are currently on show at Southern Guild Los Angeles and the Tate Modern, London
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Casa Bosques’ queer-themed book curation comes to New York’s East Village
In Pride Month 2024, Casa Bosques’ pop-up bookstore in The Standard hotel, East Village, offers a stylish haven for literary mavens
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Alicja Kwade and Agnes Martin in Los Angeles: time, temporality and perception
Artists Alicja Kwade and Agnes Martin are in dialogue at Pace Gallery, Los Angeles
By Emily McDermott Published