Art Focus Lecture | From Judy Chicago to Cindy Sherman and Beyond: Transformations in Art and Feminism from the 70's to Now

In the 1970s, Feminist Art garnered the attention of the art world and beyond. By the following generation, however, many young female artists had eschewed the imagery and strategies of their predecessors. For some viewers familiar with established practices, this new art appeared to possess little to no feminist content. But many of these young artists were simply shifting the terms by which an art by, for, and of women could be interpreted and understood. This lecture focuses on the art and career of two notable artists: Judy Chicago and Cindy Sherman. Each is representative of their generational outlook and each significantly shaped the art of others. When examined in historical perspective, their art and career trajectories illuminate not only changes in art and art practice, but the ways in which women artists responded to larger cultural and political shifts in American life.

Kevin Muller is a specialist in the history of American art. He received his Ph.D. from the History of Art Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught at U.C. Berkeley, the San Francisco Art Institute, and is currently the full-time art historian at the College of Marin. In addition to his academic background, Muller has acquired curatorial experience at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.