Presentation

Sophie Calle is a visual artist, photographer, writer, and director who lives in Malakoff, France. She was born in 1953 in Paris. While she grew up, her family's friends were artists such as Martial Raysse, Arman, or Christian Boltanski. 

She traveled for seven years before returning to Paris, where she decided to discover the city through other people. She started following people in the street, and once followed a man to Venice. On one occasion, a friend pointed out the warmth of the sheets that she felt when she lay in bed beside her. That is how she got the idea to invite people to stay in her bed 24 hours a day, taking turns in order to occupy it for eight days. This experiment drew the attention of the art critic Bernard Lamarche-Vadel, the husband of one of the women who took part in her project; this is how her projects became works of art.

Her work focuses on intimacy. Being herself very solitary, she is interested in the rise of individualism that sometimes takes disturbing shapes. She is increasingly attracted by dangerous and perverse situations, in preset scenarios. Her works deal with the self and play (“je" and “jeu" in French), where through play she thinks of different scenarios for the "self", thus raising the question of identity in her “autofictions". Always setting rules for these games, she also manages to control seduction and love, two elements that play a central role in her work. Her fantasies materialize and the experiences of her daily life are part of the games she invents.

Art has a therapeutic role for her as she brings into her work her own pain, which she sometimes compares with the testimonials of other people. She defines her art as "situation art" in which choices are confronted, creating tension.

Sophie Calle makes art that is narrative in order to bring her ideas to life, and her body of work is built gradually from her different pieces, over time. She uses various modes of expression: storytelling, anecdote, remake, self-portrait, confidences... She also varies the media and can use images, speech, text...

Sophie Calle's work has been exhibited in some of the most important museums of the world, such as Centre Georges Pompidou or the MoMA in New York, but also at the Venice Biennale in 2007.


Read more
All artworks of Sophie Calle
Print, Les seins miraculeux, Sophie Calle

Les seins miraculeux

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Sculpture, Sophie Calle, Ainsi de suite - Édition limitée, Sophie Calle

Sophie Calle, Ainsi de suite - Édition limitée

Sophie Calle

Sculpture - 9.4 x 7.1 x 2.8 inch

$1,358

Print, Des journées entières sous le signe du B, du C, du W En, Sophie Calle

Des journées entières sous le signe du B, du C, du W En

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Chambre avec vue Fr, Sophie Calle

Chambre avec vue Fr

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Le nez Fr, Sophie Calle

Le nez Fr

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Attendez-moi (FR), Sophie Calle

Attendez-moi (FR)

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Sans lui, Sophie Calle

Sans lui

Sophie Calle

Print - 7.1 x 5.1 inch

$906

Print, The plastic surgery En, Sophie Calle

The plastic surgery En

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, The Breasts En, Sophie Calle

The Breasts En

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Des journées entières sous le signe du B, du C, du W.  Fr, Sophie Calle

Des journées entières sous le signe du B, du C, du W. Fr

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Room with a view En, Sophie Calle

Room with a view En

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Print, Wait for me En, Sophie Calle

Wait for me En

Sophie Calle

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

$408

Discover our selections of works by artists

Need help finding your favorite? Consult our selection pages made for you.
Need to know more?

Who is the artist?

Sophie Calle is a visual artist, photographer, writer, and director who lives in Malakoff, France. She was born in 1953 in Paris. While she grew up, her family's friends were artists such as Martial Raysse, Arman, or Christian Boltanski. 

She traveled for seven years before returning to Paris, where she decided to discover the city through other people. She started following people in the street, and once followed a man to Venice. On one occasion, a friend pointed out the warmth of the sheets that she felt when she lay in bed beside her. That is how she got the idea to invite people to stay in her bed 24 hours a day, taking turns in order to occupy it for eight days. This experiment drew the attention of the art critic Bernard Lamarche-Vadel, the husband of one of the women who took part in her project; this is how her projects became works of art.

Her work focuses on intimacy. Being herself very solitary, she is interested in the rise of individualism that sometimes takes disturbing shapes. She is increasingly attracted by dangerous and perverse situations, in preset scenarios. Her works deal with the self and play (“je" and “jeu" in French), where through play she thinks of different scenarios for the "self", thus raising the question of identity in her “autofictions". Always setting rules for these games, she also manages to control seduction and love, two elements that play a central role in her work. Her fantasies materialize and the experiences of her daily life are part of the games she invents.

Art has a therapeutic role for her as she brings into her work her own pain, which she sometimes compares with the testimonials of other people. She defines her art as "situation art" in which choices are confronted, creating tension.

Sophie Calle makes art that is narrative in order to bring her ideas to life, and her body of work is built gradually from her different pieces, over time. She uses various modes of expression: storytelling, anecdote, remake, self-portrait, confidences... She also varies the media and can use images, speech, text...

Sophie Calle's work has been exhibited in some of the most important museums of the world, such as Centre Georges Pompidou or the MoMA in New York, but also at the Venice Biennale in 2007.

When was Sophie Calle born?

The year of birth of the artist is: 1953