Guerrilla Girls

Guerrilla Girls are a group of anonymous feminist artists, founded in 1985, who aim to expose sexism and racism in the art world, particularly in New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Guggenheim Museum. The group's formation was influenced by the Feminist art movement of the 1970s, led by artists such as Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, and Miriam Schapiro. Their activism is also rooted in the Civil Rights Movement and the work of artists like Kerry James Marshall, Kehinde Wiley, and Amy Sherald. The group's anonymous nature is inspired by the Situationalist International and the Dada movement, which sought to challenge traditional notions of art and society.

● History

The Guerrilla Girls were formed in response to the Whitney Museum of American Art's 1985 Whitney Biennial, which featured only 13 women artists out of a total of 148 participants, including Georgia O'Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, and Louise Bourgeois. This lack of representation sparked outrage among female artists, including Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, and Sherrie Levine, who were influenced by the Feminist art movement and the work of Andrea Dworkin and Betty Friedan. The group's first public appearance was in 1985, when they staged a protest outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, holding signs that read "Do Women Have to Be Naked to Get into the Met. Museum?" and featuring images of Eva Hesse, Lynda Benglis, and Carolee Schneemann. This event was covered by The New York Times, Artforum, and Art in America, and marked the beginning of the group's long-standing critique of the art world's patriarchy and elitism, which is also reflected in the work of Marina Abramovic, Tania Bruguera, and Pipilotti Rist.

● Membership

The Guerrilla Girls are a collective of anonymous female artists, who wear gorilla masks to conceal their identities, inspired by the Banksy and Voina collectives. The group's membership has changed over the years, with some members leaving and new ones joining, including Kathe Kollwitz, Lee Krasner, and Hannah Höch. The group's anonymity allows them to speak freely and avoid personal attacks, while also emphasizing the collective nature of their activism, which is similar to the approach of The Yes Men and The Guerrilla Theatre. Members have included artists, curators, and art historians, such as Linda Nochlin, Griselda Pollock, and Abigail Solomon-Godeau, who have written extensively on feminist art theory and art criticism.

● Artistic Style and Methods

The Guerrilla Girls use a variety of artistic styles and methods to convey their message, including posters, billboards, and public performances, inspired by the Situationist International and the Dada movement. Their work often incorporates humor, irony, and satire, as seen in the work of Barbara Kruger and Cindy Sherman. They have also used statistics and data visualization to highlight the lack of diversity in the art world, similar to the approach of Hans Haacke and Andrea Fraser. Their methods are often confrontational and provocative, aiming to challenge the status quo and spark conversation, as seen in the work of Ai Weiwei and Anish Kapoor.

● Notable Works and Campaigns

Some of the Guerrilla Girls' most notable works include their poster campaign, which featured images of famous artworks with gorilla masks superimposed over the faces of the subjects, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. They have also staged protests and demonstrations outside museums and galleries, including the Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Gagosian Gallery, and have collaborated with other artists and activists, such as Gran Fury and ACT UP. Their campaigns have targeted institutions such as the National Gallery of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Walker Art Center, and have been covered by The New York Times, Artforum, and Hyperallergic.

● Impact and Legacy

The Guerrilla Girls have had a significant impact on the art world, highlighting issues of sexism and racism and pushing for greater diversity and inclusion, as seen in the work of Kerry James Marshall, Kehinde Wiley, and Amy Sherald. Their activism has inspired a new generation of artists and feminists, including Judy Baca, Faith Ringgold, and Mickalene Thomas. The group's influence can be seen in the work of other activist groups, such as The Yes Men and The Guerrilla Theatre, and in the increasing number of women artists and artists of color being exhibited in museums and galleries, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Tate Modern.

● Exhibitions and Collections

The Guerrilla Girls' work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Centre Pompidou. Their posters and prints are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and have been featured in exhibitions such as the Whitney Biennial and the Venice Biennale. The group's archives are held at the Getty Research Institute and the Feminist Art Archive at Stanford University, and their work continues to be celebrated and studied by art historians and scholars, including Linda Nochlin, Griselda Pollock, and Abigail Solomon-Godeau. Category:Art movements