WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution

Two 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.
Sep 21 to Dec 16, 2007

WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution is the first comprehensive exhibition to explore the formation, development, and impact of feminism in post-war contemporary art from 1965 to 1980 and will include artists from around the globe.

It is the largest exhibition in NMWA’s 20-year history and showcases nearly 300 works by 118 artists including painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, and performance art. The exhibition offers a major rethinking of feminist art, adds depth to the historical record, and creates interest in feminism as a vital force for a whole new generation.

WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution’s story begins in 1965 with important proto-feminist work by Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, Yoko Ono, Yvonne Rainer, and others who influenced the feminist art of the 1970s. It continues with iconic works by feminist artists such as Chantal Akerman, Eleanor Antin, Judith Baca, Judy Chicago, Ana Mendieta, Ulrike Ottinger, Howardena Pindell, Betye Saar, Miriam Schapiro, Nancy Spero, and Katharina Sieverding, among many others. The exhibition ends in 1980, with early work by artists such as Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, and Lorraine O’Grady whose work was informed by the feminist practices of their foremothers.

Organized by the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (LAMoCA), NMWA is the second venue on a tour that also includes the Museum of Modern Art/PS1. A truly groundbreaking exhibition, WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution will make clear that, in all its myriad forms, feminist art was a revolutionary force from 1965 to 1980 and continues to be relevant in contemporary art today.

Installation view of a large, textile sculpture hanging from the ceiling in a white gallery space. The textile piece is in a blood-red hue that contrasts with the white walls. The texture is rather rough. It looks like a giant heart hanging from three threads.

Installation view of Magdalena Abakanowicz Every Tangle of Thread and Rope

Exhibition Sponsors

The presentation of WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at the National Museum of Women in the Arts is generously provided by the Elizabeth A. Sackler Museum Educational Trust; MaryRoss Taylor and  Virginia B. Galtney; Fannie and Stephen Kahn Charitable Foundation; the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation; Dr. Arthur Bert and Mrs. Catherine Little Bert; Irene Natividad; Peggy Downes Baskin; and special friends of NMWA.

    The Artist,

    Magdalena Abakanowicz

    Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz manipulated textiles like burlap into figurative compositions, referencing vulnerable human individuality in the modern world.
    Black and white close-up photo of a woman whose face dominates the frame. Her brown bangs rest above her eyebrows and her eyes look to the right. Her light skin tone is slightly lined and she has an alert, focused expression.

    The Artist,

    Lynda Benglis

    Lynda Benglis first garnered art-world attention for her poured latex sculptures, which stood in marked contrast to the hard-edged sculpture of male-dominated Minimalism.
    A light-skinned adult woman with short, grey hair. She gazes directly into the camera with a frank expression, her eyebrows slightly raised. On the wall next to her hang three round sculptures of grey, black and white. They are masses of coils and resemble rounded brains.

    The Artist,

    Harmony Hammond

    In the 1970s and early 1980s, Harmony Hammond became well-known for her fabric-wrapped sculptures that expand conventional ideas about women’s handwork.
    A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned, smiling adult woman in profile wearing a black Western-style hat and tank top, her white hair pulled to the side. She stands in a field of sparse grass. Behind her are two people, a rack of clothing, furniture, and distant trees.

    The Artist,

    Alice Neel

    In her portraits, Alice Neel sought to reveal the inner lives of her sitters, who included relatives, neighbors, and art-world celebrities.
    A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned, adult woman in profile; only her face, gently lit and solemn, is visible.

    The Artist,

    Louise Bourgeois

    Louise Bourgeois is considered one of the most inventive and influential sculptors of the 20th century for her use of unconventional materials and allusive psychological content.
    Black-and-white photograph of an older woman with her short, dark hair brushed back. Sitting with her left hand raised, her deeply lined face looks off-camera, her eyes squinting slightly and her lips pursed. She wears a gold earring, gold wedding ring and a white shirt.

    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.

    The Artist,

    Cindy Sherman

    Through her photographs, Cindy Sherman examines women’s roles in society and questions the ways in which the viewer looks at and identifies with the women she portrays.
    A black-and-white photograph of a light-skinned adult woman with medium-length straight blonde hair. She wears a dark colored long sleeved shirt. Shown from her mid-section up, she stands in front of a brick wall and glances to the side.

    The Artist,

    Miriam Schapiro

    Miriam Schapiro challenged the dichotomy of “high” art, denoting the works of known, predominantly male artists, and “decorative” art, a term then used to relegate women to anonymity.
    Black and white photo of a woman shot from the waist up. She rests her chin in her right hand, her right elbow propped on a table next to bottles of paint. She smiles with her whole face and her grey hair is brushed back. She wears a light blouse and large cocktail ring.