247

Simone Leigh

(b. 1967)

Untitled.

Glazed terra cotta stoneware, 2012.
7 1/4 x 16 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (18.4 x 41.9 x 21.6 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Acquired from Ballroom Marfa, Texas (2013).
    Private collection, Illinois.
  • Notes:
    Simone Leigh's cowrie shell is an excellent example of one of her signature sculptural forms. Each is unique – this work is covered in raised black dots of glaze with a subtle iridescent glaze. The tactile surface is only disrupted by the jagged opening to the interior of this evocative form.

    Leigh began making these cowrie shells in 2011. They have been exhibited both as individual works and as part of larger sculptures and installations. The forms were first publicly exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem during Simone Leigh's 2010-11 residency, then again in her 2012 solo exhibition You Don't Know Where Her Mouth Has Been at the Kitchen, New York. The exhibition featured the same-titled installation of 65 cowrie shells hanging by wire as a chandelier.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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April 2, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
New York, NY, US

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