Feminist Art and Architecture: A Roundup of Recent Publications

A series of books published between 2018 and 2020 address the intersection of feminism with art, architecture, and performance. Jane Hall's 'Breaking Ground. Architecture by Women' (Phaidon, 2019) catalogs female architects globally, critiquing their historical subordination to male 'giants.' Angela Maderna's 'L'altra metà dell'avanguardia quarant'anni dopo' (Postmedia Books, 2020) revisits Lea Vergine's landmark 1980 exhibition 'L'altra metà dell'avanguardia' at Palazzo Reale in Milan, which showcased 100 avant-garde women artists. Lori Adragna's 'Il corpo delle donne #1' (InsideArt, 2018) documents performance art by women from 2009 to 2017. 'Who's Art for? Art Workers against Exploitation' (Postmedia Books, 2019), edited by R-set, includes an investigation by Artribune's Santa Nastro on motherhood and labor in the art system. Flavia Frigeri's 'Le donne dell'arte' (24 Ore Cultura, 2020), translated from Thames & Hudson, surveys women artists from Lavinia Fontana to the Guerrilla Girls. Eszter Salgó's 'Spiritualità e femminismo nero nell'arte pubblica di Simone Leigh' (Postmedia Books, 2020) critiques Simone Leigh's 'Brick House' on the High Line Plinth and the broader public art context. 'Fuoriregistro #1. Feminisssmmm Vai pure' (Boîte Editions, 2019), coordinated by Maria Rosa Sossai, focuses on feminism and pedagogy, anchored by Carla Lonzi's thought.