DAY 343

ART THROUGH THE AGES

Feminist Art

FROM MARGINALIZATION TO ART REVOLUTION

For centuries, most female artists had been swept under the art historical rug, but the women of the highly political and radical feminist art movement were tired of being marginalized and overlooked. Asserting their voices in often aggressive ways through a wide range of media and venues, these artists turned a critical eye on cultural hierarchies.

Before feminism raised questions about women’s roles in art, art had predominantly been made for men, by men, with women’s art dismissed as inferior; however, during the cultural revolutions of the ’60s, media trivialized as “women’s work”—like sewing, pattern, decoration, and quilting—re-emerged as legitimate forms of art. Rejecting objectified images of women in popular media, art, and pornography, feminist artists reclaimed their bodies and glorified traditional women’s roles in their work. They also provided a female perspective on issues of class, race, sexuality, consumerism, and the art market itself.

This art movement operated in conjunction with the organized political wing of the feminist movement, sharing the same ideology: simply that women and men are equals and should be treated as such. Though the movement had its heyday in the ’60s and ’70s, any artwork created today confronting social injustice to women or questioning the role of women in a society can be considered feminist art. —ARR

Selected artists: Judith F. Baca, Louise Bourgeois, Judy Chicago, Jay DeFeo, Audrey Flack, the Guerrilla Girls, Rebecca Horn, Mlle Bourgeoise Noire, Alice Neel, Betye Saar, Niki de Saint Phalle, Miriam Schapiro, Cindy Sherman