Every month, hundreds of galleries add newly available works by thousands of artists to the Artnet Gallery Network—and every week, we shine a spotlight on one artist you should know. Check out what we have in store, and inquire for more with one simple click.

About the Artist: Since the 1970s, American artist Lynn Hershman Leeson has focused her practice on the intersection of identity and technology. Her media-driven artworks have explored challenging ideas from artificial intelligence and DNA programming to the relationship between illness and technology. This month, the New Museum will open “Lynn Hershman Leeson: Twisted,” the artist’s first New York solo museum exhibition, which will include many of Hershman Leeson’s most important projects. Highlights include her wax-cast “Breathing Machine” sculptures (1965–68), works from her famed “Roberta Breitmore” series (1973–78), along with a recent large-scale work, Infinity Engine (2014–present), a multimedia installation focused on genetic engineering. 

Why We Like It: Hershman Leeson’s dynamic practice ranges from interactive, internet-based works and films to drawing, sculpture, and photography. Often visually alluring and at times surrealist, her creations interrogate the effects of our seemingly inextricably entwined relationships with technology and what the societal and personal implications of this intimate reliance might be. Plus, she started paying attention to these thorny issues long before you probably did. 

About the Collection: Throughout his lifetime, San Fransisco collector G. Austin Conkey was an ardent supporter of Hershman Leeson’s career. Conkey passed away in 2019, leaving behind a significant collection of her work, which can be explored on the Artnet Gallery Network. The collection presents a range of the artist’s creative pursuits, with Surrealist dinnerware, drawings, and multimedia collage all appearing. G. Austin Conkey lived and worked in San Fransisco, and from 1970 and 2000, passionately collected works from California’s influential ‘70s conceptual art movement. Also represented in his collection are Allen Adams (ReTooled), Paul Kos, and Tom Marioni. Conkey’s focused approach to collecting offers a unique time capsule of the art of a specific place and time.

Lynn Hershman Leeson
Painting Roberta’s Portrait (1975)
G. Austin Conkey Collection
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Lynn Hershman Leeson, Painting Roberta’s Portrait (1975). Courtesy of the G. Austin Conkey Collection.

Lynn Hershman Leeson
Lady Luck (1975)
G. Austin Conkey Collection
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Lynn Hershman Leeson, Lady Luck (1975). Courtesy of the G. Austin Conkey Collection.

Lynn Hershman Leeson
Tillie and Mirror (1998)
G. Austin Conkey Collection
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Lynn Hershman Leeson, Tillie and Mirror (1998). Courtesy of G. Austin Conkey Collection.

Lynn Hershman Leeson
“Performance Dinners” Ceramic Plate (1976)
G. Austin Conkey Collection
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Lynn Hershman Leeso, “Performance Dinners” Ceramic Plate with 6 Mouths with Tongue Out (1976). Courtesy of the G. Austin Conkey Collection.

Lynn Hershman Leeson
Untitled (Ronald Reagan) (1983)
G. Austin Conkey Collection
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Lynn Hershman Leeson, Untitled (Ronald Reagan) (1983). Courtesy of the G. Austin Conkey Collection.

Lynn Hershman Leeson
Woman (Gradient) (ca. 2003)
G. Austin Conkey Collection
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Lynn Hershman Leeson, Woman (Gradient) (ca. 2003). Courtesy of the G. Austin Conkey Collection.