LaVonne Salleé (born January 18, 1946)[1] is an American artist who is best known for her work with altered Barbie dolls.
[2] Salleé's mother would subsequently remarry; this short marriage would result in two more daughters, who were separated from the family after the divorce.
[4] Salleé did not settle anywhere for a long period; by age 25, she had lived in 35 different places in four states and attended nine schools.
However, she began to develop medical problems; from about 1993 onwards, she was plagued by fibromyalgia as well as some ill effects of menopause.
"[5] Salleé was at first hesitant to venture into altering Barbies, as Mattel has a history of legal action against parodists.
"[4] Her re-creations of Barbie usually feature satiric commentary on social mores and political trends;[7] the "wickedly funny" pieces often flaunt a dark humor that not everyone appreciates.
[5] As a result of the controversy, Salleé's lease on her studio contains a provision forbidding display of her religious-themed or nude creations in a manner that would be visible from outside the shop.
[7] She then moved from San Francisco to Vallejo, California to open her One of a Kind Barbies gallery to display her work.
[3] Lavonne Salleé has altered over 250 Barbies to date;[12] they have been acquired by collectors both nationally and worldwide, from patrons as far-flung as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.