Art and Feminism [Hardcover]

Helena Reckitt (Author), Peggy Phelan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Themes & Movements | Publication Date: June 13, 2001

In the late 1960s feminism exploded into popular consciousness. As women began to carve their own spaces in politics and the workplace, so too they demanded to enter art history - where traditionally they had chiefly featured as anonymous bodily subjects of art produced, patronized, collected and theorized by men. Indeed most feminist art until the late 1970s was preoccupied with re-presenting the female body, ranging from the guerilla street actions of Valie Export to the naked performances of Hannah Wilke, to Ana Mendieta's outlines of absent female bodies in the landscape. The emerging debates surrounding new feminist art were fiercely discussed: should women artists compete with men or exclude them? Is the naked female body, even in feminist artists' performances, still an objectification of women? From the 1960s to the millennium, "Art and Feminism" traces the changing art practices, art historical debates, manifestos, challenges, rediscoveries and reawakenings that characterize the dynamic, continuing dialogue between feminism and contemporary art. "Art and Feminism" explores the spaces "between" feminism and art, uncovering a shifting, reciprocal relationship. Accessibly and comprehensively ranging across the whole spectrum of art practice and theory, this volume includes the key texts of each period, ranging from the polemics of Germaine Greer and Valerie Solanas to definitions of new artforms by Lucy R. Lippard, to Laura Mulvey's influential film theory, to Craig Owen's Postmodern criticism, as well as rare original artists' statements and reviews. The diverse range of artists featured includes Laurie Anderson, Vanessa Beecroft, Louise Bourgeois, Sophie Calle, Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin, Coco Fusco, Nan Goldin, Mona Hatoum, Jenny Holzer, Rebecca Horn, Barbara Kruger, Yayoi Kusama, Shirin Neshat, Yoko Ono, Adrian Piper, Pipilotti Rist, Jenny Saville, Carolee Schneemann, Rosemarie Trockel, Gillian Wearing and many others.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

No question about it, Art and Feminism is the basic reference book for feminist art. Part of Phaidon's excellent Themes and Movements series, it surveys three decades of a tumultuous history with a brief but inclusive essay, reproductions of works by 155 artists, and lengthy excerpts from groundbreaking texts by artists and theorists. The challenge posed by a movement that spans several artistic generations and includes many contentious players is ably met by essayist Peggy Phelan, professor of performance studies at New York University. She illuminates the intertwined workings of feminist politics and literary criticism, psychoanalysis, race and queer theory with clarity and a refreshing absence of doctrinaire pronouncements.

The illustrations are organized chronologically under sometimes quirky headings, beginning with "Too Much" (late-'60s performance pieces by such pioneering figures as Carolee Schneemann, Miriam Schapiro, Eva Hesse, Louise Bourgeois, and Yayoi Kusama). The final section, "Femmes de Siècle," contains work from the '90s by Coco Fusco, Kara Walker, Mona Hatoum, Jenny Saville, and others exploring "collective memories ... and traumas." Essays range from the raw invective of Valerie Solanas's "Scum Manifesto" (1967) to the reasoned arguments of Adrian Piper's "The Triple Negation of Colored Women Artists" (1990). While some may argue that the book could be more inclusive--it deals overwhelmingly with women artists who exhibit in major Western cultural centers--it offers an unparalleled breadth of reference. Irked by the perfect bodies of many feminist artists who use nudity in their work, I was struck by the poignancy and honesty of Hannah Wilke--a glamorous figure in '70s and '80s performance art--who chose to memorialize her bald, bloated self in photographs months before her untimely death from cancer in 1993. --Cathy Curtis

Review

Art and Feminism is a handsome, meaty volume which provides an excellent overview of the influence of feminist theory and politics on four decades of art by women artists ... The sheer heft of lavishly produced images will be indispensable to scholars, critics and artists.' (Art Monthly) 'Immensely important ... a valuable resource' (contemporary) 'Long overdue ... an indispensable read for everyone' (i-D) 'Beautifully designed, it is the first fully illustrated, comprehensive survey of key feminist works and texts.' (The Art Newspaper) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (June 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714835293
• ISBN-13: 978-0714835297
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant writing and art, beautiful book, January 14, 2002

By A Customer

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This review is from: Art and Feminism (Hardcover)

I saw this book reviewed in Bust mag and am so glad I got a copy for myself. Peggy Phelan and Helena Reckitt have accomplished a "portable gallery" in this book--it is like seeing all of the works themselves, but with commentary that helps at every step of the way.

Peggy Phelan's introduction is great because she draws everything together in a way that I couldn't do on my own, and actually, I am amazed ANYONE could do it. Wow.

The book is expensive but worth it because otherwise you would have to buy about 100 books to try and do for yourself what they did here.

Peggy and Helena, and all the artists, YOU ROCK!!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Survey and Document of Both Feminism and Art, October 10, 2005

By 

Jokie X Wilson "jokiex" (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Art and Feminism (Hardcover)

This book would be an excellent textbook for a Women In Art course. It doesn't have much information on centuries prior to the twentieth and largely focuses on art, artists, and issues from the 1960's on, so it wouldn't do as the only text for such a course. But this is all you need for late twentieth century concerns.

The early essays are dripping with Freudian psychology and psychoanalytical social criticism. The issues surrounding why it took so long for there to be a sense of equality of greatness amongst artists of all genders is explored deeply. The issues of representation of all races and sexual orientations then follows. The book stops just short of discussing the newest research on intersex persons (persons born with an extra chomosome, among others {XXY, for example}).

For a movement that was intending to create a sense of equality, feminist theory highlights both the vast differences as well as the profound similarities between the perception processes of men and women. This includes both the perceptions of and different approaches to art as well as life. Yet, when all is said and done, more recent artists are primarily interested not in these issues, but more a sense of having their work judged based on its quality, not their gender.

The only disappointment I have in this book is one that no other book addresses either. So, I mean this only as a minor criticism. In short, the book does not answer the following: Is ther an intersex mind state? Feminist theory either didn't reach the point of asking this in time for the extensive research put into this book or it has come to its conclusion and will transform gradually into a whole other movement.

The art chosen to represent the above ideas and explorations is top quality. The reproductions are sharp and colorful. I would recommend this book to anyone with interests in women in art or in feminist theory.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Art and Feminism, February 15, 2004

By 

"elebean" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art and Feminism (Hardcover)

This book is a great "picture book" for anyone interested in art and/or women artist. The descriptions of the work are concise, giving enough information to make you want to investigate further. A necessary addition to any art book collection.