Judy Chicago

A new work from Judy Chicago, fifty years in the making: Judy Chicago: Revelations is the work she thought would never see the light of day. Her captivating narrative combatting the erasure of women from history unites seamlessly with illustrations first made in the 1970s and new work in a striking, contemporary design. Revelations is the work that Judy Chicago believed would never be published: a radical retelling of human history in the form of an illuminated manuscript, recovering stories of women that society sought to erase. Begun alongside her iconic installation The Dinner Party in the mid-1970s, and drawing on her intensive research into goddess worship and women’s history, Revelations is foundational to Chicago’s decades-long practice. It is at once a vibrant narrative and a work of art, fifty years in the making. Publication coincides with an exhibition at the Serpentine, London, from 22 May to 1 September, Judy Chicago’s first solo presentation in a major London institution.

A collection of inspiring and provocative quotations from pioneering artist, feminist, and activist Judy ChicagoA fierce activist for women’s rights and against climate change, Judy Chicago defines herself best: “I’m Judy Chicago, and I’m an artist and a troublemaker.” A leader of the Women’s Art Movement of the 1970s, Chicago also founded the first feminist art program in the United States. She is renowned for her monumental installation The Dinner Party (1974–1979), an iconic work that celebrates female luminaries from history and mythology, including Georgia O’Keeffe, Emily Dickinson, Sojourner Truth, and Hatshepsut. Gathered from interviews and other sources, Judy Chicago-isms is an inspiring collection of the memorable and powerful words of a trailblazing artist.“You don’t have to be a man to support a patriarchal worldview, and you don’t have to be a woman to support feminist values.”“You have to choose hope. Hope comes from feeling that you’re on the side of right and fighting for it. If you’re a passive observer to what’s going on, it’s easy to give in to despair.”“Feminist art is all the stages of a woman giving birth to herself.”“[Women] should get fifty percent of the space in all institutions. That is what our mandate has to be.”

Judy Chicago is America's most dynamic living artist. Her works comprise a dizzying array of media from performance and installation to the glittering table laid for thirty-nine iconic women in The Dinner Party (now permanently housed at the Brooklyn Museum), the groundbreaking Birth Project, and the meticulously researched Holocaust Project. She designed the monumental installation for Dior's 2020 Paris couture show and, in 2019, established the Judy Chicago Portal, which will help to accomplish her lifelong goal of overcoming the erasure of women's achievements. The Flowering is her vivid and revealing autobiography, fully illustrated with photographs of her work, as well as never-before-published personal images and a foreword by Gloria Steinem. Chicago has revised and updated her classic first autobiography with previously untold stories, fresh insights, and an extensive afterword covering the last twenty years. This powerful narrative weaves together the stories behind some of Chicago's most significant artworks and her journey as a woman artist with the chronicles of her personal relationships and her understanding, from decades of experience and extensive research, of how misogyny, racism, and other prejudices intersect to erase the legacies of artists who are not white and male while dismissing the suffering of millions of creatures who share the planet. The Flowering is an essential read for anyone interested in making change, now available in paperback.

Judy Chicago is America’s most dynamic living artist. Her works comprise a dizzying array of media from performance and installation to the glittering table laid for thirty- nine iconic women in The Dinner Party (now permanently housed at the Brooklyn Museum), the groundbreaking Birth Project, and the meticulously researched Holocaust Project. She designed the monumental installation for Dior’s 2020 Paris couture show and, in 2019, established the Judy Chicago Portal, which will help to accomplish her lifelong goal of overcoming the erasure that has eclipsed the achievements of so many women. The Flowering is her vivid and revealing autobiography, fully illustrated with photographs of her work, as well as never-before-published personal images and a foreword by Gloria Steinem. Chicago has revised and updated her earlier, classic works with previously untold stories, fresh insights, and an extensive afterword covering the last twenty years. This powerful narrative weaves together the stories behind some of Chicago’s most significant artworks and her journey as a woman artist with the chronicles of her personal relationships and her understanding, from decades of experience and extensive research, of how misogyny, racism and other prejudices intersect to erase the legacies of artists who are not white and male while dismissing the suffering of millions of creatures who share the planet. With the first career retrospective of her work forthcoming at the de Young Museum in 2021, Chicago reinforces her message of resilience for a new generation of artists and activists. The Flowering is an essential read for anyone interested in making change.With 90 illustrations in colour