American artist Dorothy Iannone dies in Berlin at 89
Dorothy Iannone, an American artist celebrated for her autobiographical and erotic creations, passed away unexpectedly on December 26, 2022, in Berlin. Born in Boston in 1933 and a graduate of Brandeis University, Iannone's activism began in 1961 when her copy of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer was seized by customs. She won a lawsuit that lifted the novel's ban after thirty years. Initially exhibiting at Stryke Gallery, she became involved with Fluxus in the mid-1960s but achieved greater fame in the late 1990s. Her works are part of prominent collections, including the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. A retrospective at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art concluded on September 11, 2022. Her relationship with Swiss artist Dieter Roth continued until his passing in 1998.
Key facts
- Dorothy Iannone died unexpectedly on December 26, 2022, in Berlin.
- She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1933.
- She graduated from Brandeis University in American literature.
- In 1961, her copy of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer was confiscated at Idlewild Airport (now JFK).
- She successfully sued with the New York Civil Liberties Union, ending the novel's ban.
- She joined Fluxus in the mid-1960s.
- Her work is in the collections of Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Centre Pompidou, and Museum Ludwig Cologne.
- A retrospective at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art closed on September 11, 2022.
- She met Dieter Roth in Reykjavík in 1967 and left her husband James Upham a week later.
- Roth became her muse and partner until his death in 1998.
- Her work includes the artist's book An Icelandic Saga (1978-86) and paintings I Am Whoever You Want Me To Be and I Begin To Feel Free (both 1970).
- She worked in painting, drawing, collage, video, sculpture, and artist books.
- Her influences include Japanese woodcuts, Byzantine mosaics, Egyptian frescoes, and American comics.
- Her Paris gallery is Air de Paris.
Entities
Artists
- Dorothy Iannone
- Henry Miller
- Dieter Roth
- James Upham
Institutions
- Brandeis University
- New York Civil Liberties Union
- Stryke Gallery
- Fluxus
- Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
- Centre Pompidou
- Museum Ludwig
- Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
- Air de Paris
Locations
- Berlin
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Idlewild Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport
- Reykjavík
- Humlebæk
- Denmark
- Paris