Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago is a legendary artist who has brightened the future for women in art. Today, she is considered a pioneer of the feminist art movement, but when she began her career the genre barely existed. Born in 1939 in Chicago, Illinois, she grew up in a politically active Jewish household where gender equality was the norm. This progressive upbringing, however, didn't prepare her for the art world’s stark sexist reality. In the 1960s, during her studies at UCLA, she created her now historic Car Hoods (1965) – bold, colorful works featuring yonic patterns on automobile hoods. When the pieces faced harsh criticism from her peers and tutors, Judy's confidence was shaken. So she decided to hide the fact she was a woman by conforming to the male-dominated Minimalist movement of the 1960s. Even while self-restrained by Minimalism, her inert talent for form, color, and composition was inescapable, and the works still garnering much attention in the art world.