Sarah Charlesworth

Sarah Charlesworth was a conceptual artist and photographer whose work sought to bridge the gap between fine art and a critical practice of photography. Trained as a painter and introduced to conceptual art in college, Charlesworth developed a deeper interest in photography and its ability to deconstruct our shared symbols and public imagery in ways that articulate and question the values and beliefs of our culture.

Charlesworth's long career—with over 50 individual exhibitions, a presence in major museum shows and collections, and a traveling museum retrospective (organized by SITE, Sante Fe)—made her both a seminal figure in photography as well as a leader in feminist art. Her work uses photography to probe the role of images in society, considering the way in which the photograph defines or is defined by sexuality, gender, politics, psychology, and spirituality.