Childhood’s End #2, 1972 | Widewalls

One of the pioneers in promoting the feminist approach to art-making, Judy Chicago has been a leader and model for an art that seeks to effect social change. Articulating her egalitarian vision, she has been challenging the male-dominated art world for the past forty years, elevating women from the margins of society and history.

This year, the audience has a rare opportunity to see Judy Chicago’s early works. On view at Villa Arson in Nice, the exhibition Los Angeles, The Cool Years present less known works which are at the crossroads of the various movements such as Pop Art, Light and Space, Hard-edge and Minimalism.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Los Angeles emerged as a cultural powerhouse, giving birth to the aesthetics which is today referred to as Cool School. It was a mid-century style that combined both Pop and abstract expressionist influences alongside some homemade ingredients.

Living and working in California in the 1960s, Judy Chicago started to create works in relation to the ideas of Finish Fetish. The term was invented by art critics to ironically refer to a sort of Californian vernacular Pop art with a strong taste for materials such as plexiglass, Lucite, vinyl or polyester.

Judy Chicago, Early Works – Exhibition Highlights

Ahead of Judy Chicago’s first retrospective in December 2018 at the Miami MOCA, the Villa Arson mounted a selection of her early works from the 1960s and 1970s. Brought together for the first time, the works include paintings, sculptures and installations including Feather Room, which had never been re-created since 1967.

Curated by Geraldine Gourbe, the exhibition also features works by some other West Coast artists such as Marcia Hafif, John McCracken, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Pat O’Neill and DeWain Valentine. Be sure to check out this show which will be on view at Villa Arson in Nice until November 4th, 2018.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the show!

Featured images: Los Angeles, The Cool Years, The Installation View – J. Chicago, Rearrangeable Rainbow Blocks, 1965. Ph. F. Fernandez; Los Angeles, The Cool Years, The Installation View, B. Nauman – D. Velentin – J. Chicago. Ph F. Fernandez; Los Angeles, The Cool Years, The Installation View – J. Chicago, Feather Room, 1967-2018. Ph. F. Fernandez; Los Angeles, The Cool Years, The Installation View – J. Chicago, Feather Room, 1967-2018. Ph. F. Fernandez. All images courtesy of Villa Arson.