Gillian Wearing

(British, born 1963)

Gillian Wearing is a contemporary British artist whose conceptually driven photographs and videos investigate power dynamics and voyeurism in everyday life. Focused more on capturing the self-awareness of her subjects than on issues of aesthetics, Wearing employs prosthetic masks, voice dubbing, altered photographs, in her portraits of herself, individuals, and groups. Her works are in dialogue both with peers such as Cindy Sherman, and even more so with the early 20th century Surrealist works of Claude Cahun. Notable series of work by Wearing include Signs that Say What You Want Them To Say and Not Signs that Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say (1992-1993), in which the artist confronted strangers and asked them write what they were thinking, then photographed them holding the sign. “It’s always important as an artist to find a unique language, and that’s why the Signs excited me,” she said of her series. “They felt new. But I didn’t realize they were going to be so influential, on everything from advertising to people doing signs for their Facebook page.” Born in 1963 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, she moved to London in 1983, studying first at the Chelsea School of Art then Goldsmiths College where she became a part of the Young British Artists generation alongside Damien Hirst. In 1997, the artist was the winner of the prestigious Turner Prize for her 60 Minutes Silence (1996). She currently lives and works in London, UK. Today, Wearing’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., among others.

Gillian Wearing News

What I Buy and Why

The Roving Eye of Australian Philanthropist Naomi Milgrom and Her Latest Fascination, Collecting Pavilions

The Roving Eye of Australian Philanthropist Naomi Milgrom and Her Latest Fascination, Collecting Pavilions

What I Buy and Why

British Artist Glenn Brown on His Historical Collection and the 'Ugly Duckling' He Bought by Accident

British Artist Glenn Brown on His Historical Collection and the 'Ugly Duckling' He Bought by Accident

Museums & Institutions

Artist Glenn Brown Has Opened a Museum in London, Blending His Own Work With Old and New Art From His Personal Collection

by Jo Lawson-Tancred

Artist Glenn Brown Has Opened a Museum in London, Blending His Own Work With Old and New Art From His Personal Collection

Gillian Wearing Artworks

Gillian Wearing (141 results)

Sacha and Mum, 1996

Gillian Wearing

Sacha and Mum, 1996

Sale Date: February 29, 2024

Auction Closed

The Garden, 1997

Gillian Wearing

The Garden, 1997

Sale Date: February 13, 2024

Auction Closed

Sleeping Mask (for Parkett 70), 2004

Gillian Wearing

Sleeping Mask (for Parkett 70), 2004

Sale Date: October 31, 2023

Auction Closed

A Woman Called Theresa, 1998

Gillian Wearing

A Woman Called Theresa, 1998

Sale Date: October 11, 2023

Auction Closed

My Hand, 2012

Gillian Wearing

My Hand, 2012

Sale Date: September 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Olia, 2003

Gillian Wearing

Sale Date: August 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Olia, 2003

Gillian Wearing

Sale Date: June 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Signs that Say What You Want Them to Say and , 1994

Gillian Wearing

Signs that Say What You Want Them to Say and , 1994

Sale Date: March 16, 2023

Auction Closed

The Garden, from Screen, 1997

Gillian Wearing

The Garden, from Screen, 1997

Sale Date: December 15, 2022

Auction Closed

Self-Portrait, 2000

Gillian Wearing

Self-Portrait, 2000

Sale Date: October 15, 2022

Auction Closed

Selected Images from Signs that Say..., 1992–1993

Gillian Wearing

Selected Images from Signs that Say..., 1992–1993

Sale Date: October 12, 2022

Auction Closed

Me as Arbus', 2008

Gillian Wearing

Me as Arbus', 2008

Sale Date: October 7, 2022

Auction Closed

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Gillian Wearing

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Sale Date: July 6, 2022

Auction Closed

Signs that say what you want them to say and , 1994

Gillian Wearing

Signs that say what you want them to say and , 1994

Sale Date: June 9, 2022

Auction Closed

Self-Portrait at 17 Years Old (from Album), 2003

Gillian Wearing

Self-Portrait at 17 Years Old (from Album), 2003

Sale Date: May 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Sleeping Mask, 2004

Gillian Wearing

Sleeping Mask, 2004

Sale Date: April 27, 2022

Auction Closed

People, 2011

Gillian Wearing

Sale Date: April 6, 2022

Auction Closed

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Gillian Wearing

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Sale Date: March 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Olia (2003)

Gillian Wearing

Sale Date: February 11, 2022

Auction Closed

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Gillian Wearing

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Sale Date: November 2, 2021

Auction Closed

Olia (2003), 2003

Gillian Wearing

Olia (2003), 2003

Sale Date: July 23, 2021

Auction Closed

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Gillian Wearing

To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Sale Date: July 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Ziyona, 2008

Gillian Wearing

Sale Date: March 16, 2021

Auction Closed

Lily Cole, 2009

Gillian Wearing

Lily Cole, 2009

Sale Date: February 25, 2021

Auction Closed

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