On the occasion of their fortieth anniversary, Making Trouble at the National Museum of Women in the Arts presents an enthralling visual timeline of work by the artist-activist collective known as the Guerrilla Girls. The group, who declared themselves “the conscience of the art world,” emerged in 1985 with bold text- and graphic-based prints denouncing discrimination. The Guerrilla Girls are known for their provocative use of eye-catching aesthetics and stark statistics to bring widespread attention to issues of inequality and inequity. Many of the topics that the Guerrilla Girls addressed in the 1980s and ’90s (gender disparity in the arts, reproductive rights, environmental issues, and political corruption, to name a few) remain pressing today.

Works on View

A poster shows four figures who are wearing gorilla masks and standing in front of a Venetian building. They hold pink picket signs. Red text beneath them reads, “Benvenuti alla Biennale Femminista!” — Guerrilla Girls, *Benvenuti alla biennale femminista!*, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 2005; Digital print on paper, 17 x 11 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay; © Guerrilla Girls, Courtesy www.guerrillagirls.com

An image of a red pill labeled “Estrogen RR 1026” shows a fiery tail trailing from one end of the pill. Black text reads, “The Guerrilla Girls think the world needs a new weapon: the estrogen bomb.” — Guerrilla Girls, *The Estrogen Bomb*, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 2003; Lithographic poster, 17 x 11 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay; © Guerrilla Girls, Courtesy of www.guerrillagirls.com; Photo by Lee Stalsworth

A gray page features the statement “You’re seeing less than half the picture without the vision of women artists and artists of color” in big, bold, black letters. Below, in smaller text, it says “Please send $ and comments to: Box 1056 Cooper Sta. NY, NY, 10276,” then “Guerrilla Girls” in the middle, and “Conscience of the art world” to the right. — Guerrilla Girls, *You’re seeing less than half the picture…*, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1989; Photolithograph on paper, 17 x 22 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay; © Guerrilla Girls, Courtesy of www.guerrillagirls.com; Photo by Lee Stalsworth

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Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble

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