An Arrangement of Pictures

Book excerpt: For the past 20 years, Louise Lawler has photographed art as it is "presented" in private homes, museums, galleries, auction houses, public buildings, and museum and gallery storage areas. From an exhibition of Degas' masterpieces to an Andy Warhol installation, this book invites you to discover Lawler's unique vision of modern and contemporary art. She is fascinated by what "happens" to the art object after it leaves the artist's studio -- where it goes, how it's displayed, how it's valued, and what it means. Lawler shows how the environment that surrounds a piece of art affects our perception of it and how that perception, in turn, affects all aspects of the environment.