Instead of a single object or quote, for Women’s History Month I’m highlighting the work of the Guerrilla Girls.
They are an anonymous collective of women artists who formed in the 1980s to fight sexism and racism in the art world. According to The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art:
We are a group of women artists and art professionals who fight discrimination. We’re the conscience of the art world, counterparts to the mostly male traditions of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Batman, and the Lone Ranger. We have produced over 80 posters, printed projects, and actions that expose sexism and racism in the art world and culture at large… We use humor to prove that feminists can be funny… We could be anyone; we are everywhere.
They boldly called out the art world for overwhelmingly putting the white-male artist before all others, and it worked. Now their posters calling out art institutions are hanging in art institutions, and as a collective, they continue to work actively as the anti-discrimination conscience for museums and galleries.
Explore Further
The Guerrilla Girls at Tate Modern
Slideshow of their work at Tate Modern
Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into the Met. Museum?
