(SOLD): YASUMASA, Morimura. The Sickness unto Beauty.

(Yokohama, Japan): Yokohama Museum of Art, 1996.  First edition.  Softcover.  29cm by 24cm.  181 pages.  The volume presents Yasumasa Morimura’s transformative self-portraits wherein he meticulously embodies iconic actresses from Western cinema. Through elaborate costumes, makeup, and staging, Morimura reimagines figures such as Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker, Jane Fonda as Barbarella, Brigitte Bardot, Liza Minnelli, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Ingrid Bergman.  The volume was published in conjunction with the 1996 exhibition at the Yokohama Museum of Art, offering a profound exploration of identity, gender, and cultural appropriation. Morimura’s work challenges traditional notions of beauty and celebrity, blending performance, gender theory, and art history to create a compelling commentary on the construction of identity.  Text in Japanese and English.  A very good copy in glossy dust jacket, jacket with some wear, small tear, at the head of the spine.