Judy Chicago: Circa ’75

Mixed media work on paper shows a large ink drawing of a sculptural plate with page-like leaves unfurling in a round, flower-like pattern. Smaller plate deisgns, collaged photographs of the author, and her written words are surrounded by pink, orange, yellow and green watercolor.
Jan 17 to Apr 13, 2014

Born Judy Cohen in Chicago in 1939, the pioneering feminist artist jettisoned her birth and married surnames in 1970, legally adopting the neutral “Chicago.” This act of independence ushered in a decade of artistic innovation and exploration.

In honor of Judy Chicago’s 75th birthday, this exhibition examines 13 of her artworks that paralleled and influenced the U.S. feminist movement of the 1970s. During this decade, Chicago developed vivid, abstract “central core” imagery—constructing pictorial space from the center of the composition—seeking to create a new abstract visual vocabulary that encapsulated a woman’s point of view.

Along with this new imagery, Chicago wanted to reclaim forgotten women from the annals of history, literally making them visible through art. She created a series of artworks recognizing “Great Ladies” of the past, which culminated in the iconic installation The Dinner Party, now housed permanently at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.

“Great Ladies” works on view in Judy Chicago: Circa ’75 include preparatory drawings (Emily Dickinson and Virginia Woolf) and a test plate (Virginia Woolf) made for The Dinner Party. Given Chicago’s commitment to honoring women of the past, it is fitting that she be fêted alongside the other Great Ladies she has honored during her career.

Four hard-edged octagons, each divided into eight pie-slice shapes painted red, pink, orange, yellow, olive green, blue, violet, or lavender, occupy a square, white background. Dark at the wide and narrow ends of each wedge, the hues create the illusion of 3-dimensional forms.

Judy Chicago, Pasadena Lifesavers Red #5, 1970; Sprayed acrylic lacquer on acrylic, 60 x 60 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Elyse and Stanley Grinstein; © 1970 Judy Chicago

Exhibition Sponsors

Judy Chicago: Circa ’75 is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts and is generously supported by MaryRoss Taylor and the members of NMWA.

    Exhibition Gallery

    Mixed media work on paper shows a large ink drawing of a sculptural plate with page-like leaves unfurling in a round, flower-like pattern. Smaller plate deisgns, collaged photographs of the author, and her written words are surrounded by pink, orange, yellow and green watercolor.
    Judy Chicago, Study for Virginia Woolf from The Dinner Party, 1978; Mixed media on paper, 24 x 36 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of MaryRoss Taylor in honor of Elizabeth A. Sackler; © 1978 Judy Chicago
    Four painted plates are displayed vertically against a mauve background within a brown frame. Each plate is painted with colorful swirls of pink, blue, brown, sand, and green. The painted shapes suggest abstract landscapes or organic forms.
    Judy Chicago, Tender Buttons: Tearful Flight/Trying/Solo Flight/Missing, 1975; China-paint on porcelain, 4 3/4 x 15 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Dr. Marvin L. Radoff; © 1975 Judy Chicago
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    The Artist,

    Judy Chicago

    After more than four decades, Judy Chicago continues to be an influential feminist artist, author, and educator. Her work helped establish the Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s.
    A light-skinned older woman with short purple-and-white hair smiles slightly, arms out to the side. She wears a blue sequin top with long black lace sleeves, a gold necklace, hoop earrings, and blue glasses. The sky and tree branches are behind her.