Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble
The Guerrilla Girls have been making trouble with their incisive, text-based art for forty years. In 1985, the newly formed collective of anonymous activist-artists plastered the walls of lower Manhattan with posters decrying discrimination faced by women and nonwhite artists. The group—who dubbed themselves “the conscience of the art world”—combine eye-catching aesthetics and stark statistics. They call out inequality and share feminist messages across billboards, buildings, and gallery walls.
Drawn entirely from NMWA’s deep holdings of work by the Guerrilla Girls, this exhibition presents a selection from the group’s first series alongside more recent prints and objects. Early posters directly address institutions, critics, patrons, and even other artists, holding these parties accountable for their roles in the art world’s systemic inequity. While the group first focused on gender and racial disparity in the visual arts, works from the late 1990s and onward broadened their scope to include politics, pop culture, and other fields. Mass-produced objects illustrate their populist approach, while witty combinations of material, graphics, and text reveal the Guerrilla Girls’ cutting humor.
Although recent decades have seen unprecedented change in numerous social movements, many of the topics addressed by the Guerrilla Girls in the 1980s and ’90s—reproductive rights, the environment, and gender discrimination, among others—are still pressing today. For forty years, the Guerrilla Girls have advocated fiercely for transparency and fairness in the art world and beyond, and they are not slowing down.
Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts and generously supported by the members of NMWA.
For exhibition-related resources, including label transcripts, visit nmwa.org/making-trouble or scan the QR code on the wall.
Non-flash photography is encouraged. Share and tag us on social media: #NMWAnow @WomenInTheArts
Women in America Earn Only 2/3 of What Men Do, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1985
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
The Guerrilla Girls often combine punchy text with clever imagery. Here, they address the issue of pay equity. “Women have never gained economic equality by just working hard and being good girls,” they observed. “We wanted to make women artists angry as hell and not willing to take it anymore.” The simple graphic of a one-dollar bill with a thick, dashed line at the two-thirds mark communicates the wage gap; in 1985, women on average earned 68.1 percent of what their male counterparts made. The statistics were even worse in the arts industry.
Dearest Art Collector, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1986
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Guerrilla Girls’ Definition of a Hypocrite, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1990
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Only 4 Commercial Galleries in N.Y. Show Black Women, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1986
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Though the Guerrilla Girls placed sexism at the center of their original 1985 poster campaign, they also targeted racism in the arts. Many works from the 1980s and ’90s point out that gallery representation, fair pay, and exhibition opportunities were doubly hard for non-white artists to access. From its beginnings, the group, whose membership is diverse in age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and class, has taken an intersectional approach to feminism.
Guerrilla Girls’ Pop Quiz, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1990
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
At Last! Museums Will No Longer Discriminate Against Women and Minority Artists, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1988
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
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; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
If You Keep Women Out They Get Resentful, 2018
Digital print on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: Members’ Acquisition Fund
The Internet was 84.5% Male and 82.3% White. Until Now., from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1996
Lithographic poster; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
The invention and growth of the internet in the late twentieth century enabled people to share information more broadly than ever before. As early adopters of the World Wide Web, the Guerrilla Girls first launched their website in 1995. The group recognized the advantages of the internet as a fast and free tool to distribute information and share their art far and wide. While embracing the digital age, the Guerrilla Girls also continue their on-the-ground poster, billboard, and sticker campaigns: “Attacking from all sides is our strategy,” they say.
These Galleries Show No More Than 10% Women Artists or None at All, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1985
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
The Guerrilla Girls formed in the wake of the Museum of Modern Art’s 1984 exhibition An International Survey of Painting and Sculpture, which claimed to present the best artists of the time. Fewer than 10 percent of those featured were women, however, and even fewer were non-white artists. In response, the group turned their attention to the city’s cultural institutions and critics, calling out rampant racism and sexism in the arts. This work lists the names of galleries that disproportionately represented male artists.
What Do These Artists Have in Common?, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1985
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Galleries and museums were not the only targets of the Guerrilla Girls’ sharp eye for inequity in the 1980s; the group also called out individuals. This print lists the names of forty-two prominent artists—mostly white men—who allowed their art to be shown in spaces that exhibited work by very few, if any, women artists. The Guerrilla Girls sought to identify those responsible for, or complicit in, the exclusion of women and non-white artists from preeminent exhibition spaces.
These Critics Don’t Write Enough About Women Artists, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1985
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
The Guerrilla Girls’ earliest works eschew graphics and figurative imagery in favor of bold, black-and-white text. “We realized there had to be a new kind of activist art that would change people’s minds about these issues,” they said. This emphasis on language and statistics over elements such as color, form, or line was not only innovative but also practical, delivering their message in a clear and indisputable way. Alongside their first posters, the group also released a statement declaring their goals: “Simple facts will be spelled out: obvious conclusions can be drawn.”
Guerrilla Girls Hits List, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1986
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
While casting a critical eye on institutions and individuals perpetuating discriminatory practices, the Guerrilla Girls also applauded those who were working to amplify underrepresented artists. The galleries and critics listed in this work devoted at least 30 percent of their exhibitions or reviews to women artists. The Guerrilla Girls called them “examples for all the rest.”
Guerrilla Girls’ 1986 Report Card, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1986
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
In 1986, one year after their first radical street campaign, the Guerrilla Girls published a “report card,” showing little to no improvement in select galleries’ representation of women artists. Only one of the seventeen named galleries received a positive comment, while the others were targets of the group’s scrawled disappointment. Realizing that some institutions would be slow to change, the Guerrilla Girls began to regard these galleries as “stubborn, errant children. . . . Having to point fingers a second time proved we had a lot more work to do.”
Guerrilla Girls’ Identities Exposed!, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1990
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
To maintain their anonymity, the Guerrilla Girls wear gorilla masks in public and adopt as pseudonyms the names of well-known, deceased women artists and writers, such as Frida Kahlo, Käthe Kollwitz, and Anaïs Nin. This work purportedly identifies individual members, with a touch of their signature cheekiness. “Is this or isn’t this a real list of Guerrilla Girls?” they ask. “Only the people on it know for sure.” The names of 550 women artists offer strength and protection in numbers.
3 Ways to Write a Wall Label When the Artist is a Sexual Predator, 2018
Digital print on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: Members’ Acquisition Fund
Created in the wake of the 2016 #MeToo movement, this print tackles the subject of sexual harassment and abuse in the arts. Using the example of Chuck Close’s portrait of President Bill Clinton, a painting in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Guerrilla Girls offer three increasingly explicit suggestions for acknowledging claims of sexual misconduct in a museum wall label. In 2017, Close was accused of sexual harassment by several of his female models; the Portrait Gallery ultimately adjusted the work’s label to recognize the allegations.
How to Enjoy the Battle of the Sexes, 1996
Lithographic poster; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Horror on the National Mall, 2007
Digital print on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Susan Fisher Sterling in honor of Steven Scott
As their oeuvre grew, the Guerrilla Girls experimented with color and photocollage. Combining techniques of advertising, graphic design, and art-making, Horror on the National Mall uses exaggerated language and images of glitzy celebrities to call out the disproportionate presence of white male artists in Washington, D.C., museums. Created as part of a Washington Post special section on art and feminism honoring NMWA’s twentieth anniversary, the tabloid-inspired layout prompted real and immediate change: Two of the named museums responded by installing works by women and non-white artists.
Do Women Have to be Naked to Get Into the Met. Museum? Update, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 2005
Lithographic poster; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
The Guerrilla Girls first posed the question “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” in 1989. Borrowing imagery from the painting La Grande Odalisque (1814) by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, the Guerrilla Girls replaced the head of the female figure with one of their signature gorilla masks. They point out the hypocrisy of museums showing more depictions of female nudes than works by women artists. Their original 1989 work stated, “Less than 5% of artists in the Modern Art sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female.” The statistics in this 2005 update are not much improved.
Benvenuti alla Biennale Femminista!, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 2005
Digital print on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
In 2005, Venice Biennale co-director Rosa Martínez invited the Guerrilla Girls to create a series of posters for the famed art fair. In addition to addressing global politics, Hollywood, and the art world at large, in this work the Guerrilla Girls scrutinize the Biennale itself. They tackle the subject with facts and statistics delivered with biting humor and surprising graphics. Appearing as picketers, the masked Guerrilla Girls hold signs that draw attention to the historical underrepresentation of women and artists from non-Western countries. The placards also acknowledge progress—albeit slight—toward equality.
Guerrilla Girls’ Code of Ethics for Art Museums, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: The First Five Years, 1985–1990,” 1990
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
While the Guerrilla Girls do not shy away from blunt confrontation, they also employ humor to point out hypocrisy and double standards. Featuring two printed stone tablets and biblical phrasing, this work lists ten “commandments” for art museums that address corruption, nepotism, and other systemic issues. This sardonic style is a vital part of the Guerrilla Girls’ art, making their serious messages accessible and engaging.
Guerrilla Girls Explain the Concept of Natural Law, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1992
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Erase Discrimination, 1999/ongoing
Ink on rubber; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Gorilla mask tote bag, 2017
Cotton; Designed by Abigail Crompton, manufactured by Third Drawer Down Studio; National Museum of Women in the Arts Archives
Gorilla pin and gift box, 2019
Enamel, metal, and plastic; Designed by Abigail Crompton, manufactured by Third Drawer Down Studio; National Museum of Women in the Arts Archives
The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist clutch, 2016
Enamel, metal, and plastic; Designed by Abigail Crompton, manufactured by Third Drawer Down Studio; National Museum of Women in the Arts Archives
Complementing their print practice, the Guerrilla Girls also produce multiples, an artistic medium known for surprising forms, materials, and manufacturing practices more commonly found in consumer goods. These works have aesthetic appeal as well as practical purpose. Produced in large quantities and sold at relatively affordable prices, they enable the Guerrilla Girls to bring their messages to the masses. Objects such as these, found in gift shops as well as gallery displays, can be taken into the world and used, befitting the group’s guerrilla-style distribution tactics.
Free the Women Artists of Venice!, 2005
Color print on metal; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
10 Trashy Ideas About the Environment, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1994
Digital print on plastic bag; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
As the Guerrilla Girls expanded the content of their work, they also explored new forms and mediums. Here, they printed ten sardonic notes about common practices that harm the environment—such as owning a car or using disposable diapers—on a plastic bag. The work raises awareness of the environmental impact of consumerism and the far-reaching consequences of individual actions. One quip acknowledges the irony of the bag’s material: “After all, art is eternal and so is plastic.”
Missing in Action, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1991
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
By the 1990s, the Guerrilla Girls expanded their advocacy beyond the arts, highlighting social, cultural, and political issues. Their use of clear and concise headline-style language is particularly effective for this type of missive. The bright red text, “Missing in Action,” grabs viewers’ attention, while each bullet point describes a topic of critical significance to the Guerrilla Girls in the early 1990s: the AIDS epidemic, poverty, the U.S. health care system, and environmental policy, to name a few.
The U.S. Homeland Terror Alert System for Women, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 2003
Lithographic poster; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
This poster satirizes the Homeland Security Advisory System developed by the Bush administration in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Guerrilla Girls borrowed the color-coded infographic format to address threats to women’s rights. The concept for this work arose from a political art workshop with students at Case Western Reserve University; the Guerrilla Girls’ collaborative practices frequently involve the public through workshops, presentations, and conversations.
Election Year Lottery. You Gotta Play to Win, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1996
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Guerrilla Girls Demand a Return to Traditional Values on Abortion, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1992
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Referencing historical record, this satirical work tackles the subject of bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. The attention-grabbing, bold text calls for a return to “traditional values on abortion,” while the smaller print below clarifies what a “traditional” view means to the Guerrilla Girls. Their text indicates that regulation and politicization of abortion access is a relatively recent phenomenon.
The Estrogen Bomb, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 2003
Lithographic poster; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Supreme Court Justice Supports Right to Privacy for Gays and Lesbians, from the series “Guerrilla Girls Talk Back: Portfolio 2,” 1992
Photolithograph on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Steven Scott, Baltimore, in honor of Wilhelmina Cole Holladay
Deftly recontextualizing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s words, this print brings to light hypocrisy in the U.S. justice system, which applies certain policies and ideals inconsistently. Though the work comments on LGBTQ+ rights, some members of the Guerrilla Girls were concerned about the implied criticism of Justice Thomas, revealing the challenge of working within a collective whose members hold diverse perspectives. “As an African American, I know that politically, we as a people cannot afford to lose a powerful seat on the Supreme Court,” said one member of the group at the time. “But alas, I was outvoted.”
It’s Not Apple Pie Without Ice Cream! It’s Not Democracy Without Feminism! U.S., 2023–24
Digital print on paper; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: Members’ Acquisition Fund
Guerrilla Girls ManifestA: For Art Museums Everywhere, 2024
Digital print on vinyl; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: Members’ Acquisition Fund
Scaling their works to large—even monumental—formats, the Guerrilla Girls share their messages far and wide. Displayed across billboards, buildings, and buses, works by the group have engaged audiences outside traditional museum and gallery walls. ManifestA, which can be presented in a variety of formats and sizes, is both a call-out and call to action, urging museums to adhere to equitable and principled practices.
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Guerrilla Girls: Making Trouble
