Some 200 works from 17 female artists were on display in the show curated by Gabriele Schor, together with Angelandreina Rorro of the Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna, Rome. It was the first time that Gabriele Schor consciously identified the feminist art movement of the 1970’s as the feminist avant-garde in order to emphasise its historic pioneering role, since it decisively swayed the contemporary art production of the late 1920’s and early 21st centuries like no other movement before it.
Little-known, early photographs by Cindy Sherman from the years 1975/76 were displayed alongside works by Ketty La Rocca, Hannah Wilke, Eleanor Antin, VALIE EXPORT, Ana Mendieta, Martha Rosler and Francesca Woodman in the Galleria nazionale d'arte moderna. On show for the first time in Italy were the works by Birgit Jürgenssen, Renate Bertlmann, Annegret Soltau, as well as Nil Yalter.
With several relatively unknown positions and bodies of works, the exhibition "DONNA: Avanguardia femminista negli anni '70 dalla SAMMLUNG VERBUND di Vienna" called for a discursive expansion of the historic coordinates of the feminist avant-garde and the creation of new insights. The exhibition provided an insight into the complex works of artists, who grapple with identity construction in a poetic or ironic way.
DONNA. Avanguardia femminista negli anni `70 dalla SAMMLUNG VERBUND di Vienna
19 February until 16 May 2010
Curated by Gabriele Schor, head of SAMMLUNG VERBUND, and Angelandreina Rorro, Galerie nazionale d'arte moderna, Roma
Galleria nazionale d’art moderna, Rome
Viale delle Belle Arti, 131 00196 Rome, Italy, tel. 0039 06 322981