The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights since 1980, New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2007, p. 84

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh's self–portraits, Bickerton created a new mode of self-representation that reflects how identity is experienced in the contemporary world. The artist has asked, "What exactly constitutes our notion of individual identity? We wake up in the morning and select our individuality from a finite catalogue of readymade possibilities." Rather than expressionistic brushstrokes or an emotion–laden palette, in Tormented Self-Portrait (Susie at Arles) Bickerton supplies an array of corporate and personal logos and proposes that their combination forms an honest and "tormented" self–portrait.

Occupying the center of the composition are the brand names that represent those day–to–day consumer choices that obstensibly express our personality to others. At the margins the artist repeats his signature and his trademark for this series, "Susie," in the graphic style of a corporate logo. Bickerton does not ignore how integral consumption is to self–expression, and he also does not elide the degree to which the art object is a commercial product. Encased in protective leather that can be unfurled with ease, equipped with a complete hanging system, and prominently branded, Tormented Self-Portrait (Susie at Arles) is ready for purchase and shipment.