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 Artworks

Gillian Wearing (141 results)
To Diane Love Gillian (Homage to Diane Arbus), 2005

Gillian Wearing

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

Sale Date: December 9, 2020

Auction Closed

Signs that say what you want them to..., 1992–1993

Gillian Wearing

Signs that say what you want them to..., 1992–1993

Sale Date: October 27, 2020

Auction Closed

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

Gillian Wearing

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

Sale Date: October 7, 2020

Auction Closed

Lily Cole (2009), 2009

Gillian Wearing

Lily Cole (2009), 2009

Sale Date: January 21, 2020

Auction Closed

Olia, 2003

Gillian Wearing

Olia, 2003

Sale Date: December 18, 2019

Auction Closed

SIGNS THAT SAY WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO..., 1992–1993

Gillian Wearing

SIGNS THAT SAY WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO..., 1992–1993

Sale Date: June 27, 2019

Auction Closed

Sleeping mask, 2004

Gillian Wearing

Sleeping mask, 2004

Sale Date: June 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Melanie and Kelly, 1997

Gillian Wearing

Melanie and Kelly, 1997

Sale Date: January 31, 2019

Auction Closed

Self Portrait at Three Years Old, 2004

Gillian Wearing

Self Portrait at Three Years Old, 2004

Sale Date: October 4, 2018

Auction Closed

Melanie and Kelly, 1997

Gillian Wearing

Melanie and Kelly, 1997

Sale Date: September 26, 2018

Auction Closed

TERESA AND NICK, 1998, 1998

Gillian Wearing

TERESA AND NICK, 1998, 1998

Sale Date: June 21, 2018

Auction Closed

Self Portrait at 17 Years old, 2003

Gillian Wearing

Self Portrait at 17 Years old, 2003

Sale Date: October 3, 2017

Auction Closed

Signs that say what you want them to say and , 1992

Gillian Wearing

Signs that say what you want them to say and , 1992

Sale Date: October 10, 2017

Auction Closed

ME AS SANDER

Gillian Wearing

ME AS SANDER

Sale Date: September 14, 2017

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: May 19, 2017

Auction Closed

SELF PORTRAIT AS MY SISTER JANE WEARING, 2003

Gillian Wearing

SELF PORTRAIT AS MY SISTER JANE WEARING, 2003

Sale Date: March 2, 2017

Auction Closed

Self Portrait, 2000

Gillian Wearing

Self Portrait, 2000

Sale Date: October 7, 2016

Auction Closed

My Hand, 2012

Gillian Wearing

My Hand, 2012

Sale Date: May 27, 2016

Auction Closed

Olia, 2003

Gillian Wearing

Olia, 2003

Sale Date: March 23, 2016

Auction Closed

My Hand, 2012

Gillian Wearing

My Hand, 2012

Sale Date: December 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Olia, 2003

Gillian Wearing

Olia, 2003

Sale Date: December 9, 2015

Auction Closed

Self portrait, 2000

Gillian Wearing

Self portrait, 2000

Sale Date: November 29, 2015

Auction Closed

Homage to the Woman with the Bandaged Face..., 1995

Gillian Wearing

Homage to the Woman with the Bandaged Face..., 1995

Sale Date: November 10, 2015

Auction Closed

My hand, 2012

Gillian Wearing

My hand, 2012

Sale Date: September 30, 2015

Auction Closed