Barcham Green Portfolio No. 5, 1986

Sherrie Levine (b. 1947 USA) is an American conceptual artist widely recognized for her critical engagement with issues of originality, authorship, and appropriation in art. Levine is best known for her re-photographs of famous works by male artists, such as Walker Evans and Marcel Duchamp, where she directly questions the concept of the "original" in art. By reproducing these iconic images without alteration, Levine challenges the traditional notions of creativity and ownership, emphasizing how all art is part of a broader cultural continuum rather than a product of individual genius. Her work is closely associated with the Pictures Generation, a group of artists in the late 1970s and early 1980s who used appropriation to explore how images function in mass media and culture. Levine's approach has sparked significant discussions about the nature of art, authorship, and the role of gender in these discourses. Her work has been exhibited extensively and remains influential in contemporary art theory and practice. (Artist website)