Lunar Landing: Cosmic Themes and Feminism in the Works of Four Women Artists
In an insightful piece for ArtMargins, Andi Soós explores the innovative contributions of four female artists during the 1960s Space Race era. Ester Krumbachová, known for her costume design in sci-fi films such as Ikarie XB-1, created provocative visuals that challenged gender norms. In 1965, Olja Ivanjicki famously sent a doll named 'Olja' into space as part of an artistic event. Kiki Kogelnik's 'Space Art' sculptures emerged alongside her 1969 Moonhappening, while Evelyne Axell's 1966 piece Valentine paid tribute to pioneering cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. The essay contextualizes their work within Cold War dynamics and the feminist art movement.
Key facts
- The essay was published on ArtMargins on 08/10/2026.
- The Soviet Union launched Sputnik on October 4, 1957, from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
- NASA's Apollo 11 lunar landing occurred on July 20, 1969.
- Ester Krumbachová designed costumes for Ikarie XB-1 (1963) and The Man from the First Century (1962).
- Olja Ivanjicki staged a happening in 1965 at Graphic Collective Gallery in Belgrade, launching a doll named 'Olja'.
- Kiki Kogelnik staged Moonhappening at Galerie nächst St. Stephan in Vienna on July 21, 1969.
- Evelyne Axell created Valentine in 1966, honoring Valentina Tereshkova.
- Axell performed a 'reverse striptease' at Galerie Foncke in Ghent in 1969.
Entities
Artists
- Ester Krumbachová
- Olja Ivanjicki
- Kiki Kogelnik
- Evelyne Axell
- René Magritte
- Valentina Tereshkova
- Neil Armstrong
- Buzz Aldrin
- Andy Warhol
- Jasper Johns
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Claes Oldenburg
- Tom Wesselmann
- Sam Francis
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Věra Chytilová
- Jindřich Polák
- Oldřich Lipský
- Stanisław Lem
- Pierre Restany
- Niki de Saint Phalle
- Yayoi Kusama
- Marisol
- Allen Jones
- Peter Phillips
- Pauline Boty
- Patrick Caulfield
- Joe Tilson
- Jean Antoine
- Jacques Kaplan
- Emeric Partos
- Markéta Uhlířová
- Marketa Uhlirova
- Edith Jeřábková
- Kateřina Svatoňová
- Francis McKee
- Lina Džuverović
- Angela Stief
- Martin Walkner
- Anke Kempke
- Margaret A. Weitekamp
- Sue Hubbard
- Lazar Lazić
- Dragomir Olujić
- Philippe Alcoy
- Zuzana Blochová
- Madigan Fichter
- Anna Sauer
- Suzana Spasic
- Christopher Tolve
Institutions
- ArtMargins
- Soviet Union
- NASA
- Baikonur Cosmodrome
- Czech New Wave
- National Film Archive
- Ford Foundation
- Graphic Collective Gallery
- BITEF Theatre
- Galerie nächst St. Stephan
- Bergdorf Goodman
- Fischbach Gallery
- Templon Gallery
- Galerie Foncke
- Kiki Kogelnik Foundation
- Olga Olja Ivanjicki Foundation
- Ester Krumbachová Archive
- Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design
- National Air and Space Museum
- Verso Blog
- Kunsthalle Wien
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Phillip Wilson Publishers
- Somogy Éditions d'Art
- DACS
Locations
- Kazakhstan
- United States
- Czechoslovakia
- Yugoslavia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Prague
- Belgrade
- New York
- Vienna
- Ghent
- Brussels
- Paris
- London
- Cannes
- Cape Kennedy
- Cape Canaveral
- Baikonur
- Moscow
- Sarajevo
- Zagreb
- Midtown Manhattan
- Lower East Side
- Bonwit Teller
- České Budějovice