Laurie Simmons, the mother of Girls star and creator Lena Dunham, has been nominated for the prestigious Prix Pictet photography award. Her Love Doll series features a life-like, life-sized latex sex doll imported from Japan.

The Love Doll / Day 27 / Day 1 (New in Box) 2010
The Love Doll / Day 27 / Day 1 (New in Box) 2010 Laurie Simmons

Simmons says she was fascinated and disturbed by the hyper-real human-like figure that arrives in a box and can be packed away when not needed.

In her Love Doll series, she dresses the doll up in a series of portraits, allowing it to express a personality, assuming different personas.

The Love Doll Day 27 Day 1 New in Box. Head 2010, Cornwall, Connecticut, United States Series The Love Doll 133.4 x 177.8 cm, Digital C-print
The Love Doll / Day 27 / Day 1 (New in Box. Head) 2010 Laurie Simmons
The Love Doll Day 22 20 Pounds of Jewellery 2010
The Love Doll / Day 22 (20 Pounds of Jewellery) 2010 Laurie Simmons
The Love Doll Day 26 Shoes 2010
The Love Doll / Day 26 (Shoes) 2010 Laurie Simmons
The Love Doll Day 14 Candy 2010
The Love Doll / Day 14 (Candy) 2010 Laurie Simmons
The Love Doll Day 19 Peter Jensen Boots 2010
The Love Doll / Day 19 (Peter Jensen Boots) 2010 Laurie Simmons
The Love Doll Day 1 Ring 2010
The Love Doll / Day 1 (Ring) 2010 Laurie Simmons
The Love Doll Day 32 Blue Geisha, Black and White Room 2011
The Love Doll / Day 32 (Blue Geisha, Black and White Room) 2011 Laurie Simmons

Her photos are currently on show at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, along with the works of 10 other leading photographers who were nominated for the Prix Pictet award.

Laurie Simmons has been working as an artist in New York since the 1970s. Her work often features dolls and ventriloquists' dummies.

She also starred in Tiny Furniture, written and directed by her daughter Lena Dunham in 2009.

Lena Dunham mother
Laurie Simmons and her daughter Lena Dunham are pictured at the 2013 Emmy Awards and at the premiere of Girls Season 2 in 2013 Getty