Valie Export, Pioneering Feminist Artist, Dies at 85
Valie Export, a prominent Austrian feminist artist, passed away on May 14, just shy of her 86th birthday, as confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz, Austria, in 1940, she adopted her stage name as a statement against patriarchal naming practices. Her provocative performances, such as "Genital Panic" and "Tapp und Tastkino," both from 1968, redefined artistic expression. Export was a key figure in the Austrian Filmmakers Cooperative and made waves in 1980 as one of the first women to represent Austria at the Venice Biennale. The Valie Export Centre was established in her honor in 2016.
Key facts
- Valie Export died on May 14, 2026, three days before her 86th birthday.
- Her death was confirmed by Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery.
- She was born Waltraud Lehner in 1940 in Linz, Austria.
- She adopted the name VALIE EXPORT from Austrian Smart Export cigarettes.
- In 1968, she performed 'Genital Panic' in a Munich arthouse cinema.
- In 1968, she performed 'Tapp und Tastkino' in Vienna's city center.
- She co-founded the Austrian Filmmakers Cooperative in 1968.
- In 1980, she and Maria Lassnig were the first women to represent Austria at the Venice Biennale.
Entities
Artists
- Valie Export
- Waltraud Lehner
- Maria Lassnig
- Nadya Tolokonnikova
- Peter Weibel
- Peter Hassmann
- Joseph Beuys
- Allan Kaprow
- Waltraud Stockinger
- Marina Abramović
- Thaddaeus Ropac
Institutions
- Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery
- National School for Textile Industry in Vienna
- Austrian Filmmakers Cooperative
- Galerie nächst St. Stephan
- Academy of Media Arts in Cologne
- Valie Export Centre
- Pussy Riot
- Venice Biennale
- Thaddaeus Ropac
- Austrian Broadcast Corporation
- Belvedere Museum
- Pinacoteca Agnelli
- Roswitha Haftmann Prize
- National School for Textile Industry
- Artnet News
- Interview
- Monopol
- Kunsthaus Bregenz
- WDR3
- FAZ
- Valie Export Foundation
- Academy of Media Arts Cologne
- documenta
- Guggenheim Museum
- Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
- Tate
Locations
- Linz
- Austria
- Vienna
- Munich
- Cologne
- London
- Amsterdam
- Venice
- Turin
- Germany
- New York City
- Hamburg