Art and feminism

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.