Mary Beth Edelson, Feminist Art Pioneer Known for Goddess Imagery and Institutional Activism, Dies at 88
Mary Beth Edelson, who died on 20 April 2021, left behind a transformative legacy that confronted patriarchal norms through various artistic approaches. Her artistic journey began with 1960s paintings inspired by Matisse, Cézanne, and Manet, evolving into innovative performances and photographic works. Notably, her series Woman Rising showcased her as a goddess in harmony with nature, while Light Feet (1977) portrayed a cloaked figure in a woodland setting. In 1972, her collage Some Living American Women Artists replaced the male apostles in The Last Supper with prominent female artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe and Yoko Ono. Edelson's activism started in 1968 with the inaugural Conference for Women in the Visual Arts, and she collaborated with the Heresies Collective, with her works housed in major collections. She also ran the Talbot gallery in Indianapolis.
Key facts
- Mary Beth Edelson died on 20 April 2021
- She pioneered feminist art using 1960s land art and performance techniques
- Created the 1972 collage Some Living American Women Artists replacing da Vinci's apostles with female artists
- Organized first Conference for Women in the Visual Arts in Washington, D.C. in 1968
- Protested the all-male Corcoran Biennial at Corcoran Gallery of Art
- Work featured in collections at Guggenheim Museum, MoMA, Tate Modern, and others
- Developed Memorials to the 9,000,000 Women Burned as Witches in the Christian Era project
- Shifted from goddess motifs to celebrity critiques in the 1980s and 1990s
Entities
Artists
- Mary Beth Edelson
- Georgia O'Keeffe
- Agnes Martin
- Alice Neel
- Yoko Ono
- Henri Matisse
- Paul Cézanne
- Édouard Manet
- Lucy Lippard
- Carolee Schneemann
- Judy Chicago
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Marilyn Monroe
- Judy Garland
Institutions
- Corcoran Gallery of Art
- Heresies Collective
- New Museum
- MoMA
- Guggenheim Museum
- National Museum of American Art
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Walker Art Center
- Seattle Art Museum
- Malmö Art Museum
- Tate Modern
- Talbot
Locations
- Washington, D.C.
- United States
- Indianapolis
- New York
- Chicago
- Minneapolis
- Seattle
- Malmö
- Sweden
- London
- United Kingdom