Feminist Art: A Tribute

In honor of Women's History Month, Inside Beat highlights landmark feminist artists whose work sparks discussion about the complexities of gender, race and identity throughout our era.

1) Barbara Kruger
Born: 1945 in Newark, N.J.
Medium: Black-and-white photographs overlaid with bold captions
Motif: Criticism of sexism and power
Insightful Quote: "I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren't."
Signature Piece: I Shop, Therefore I Am (1987)

2) Cindy Sherman
Born: 1954 in Glen Ridge, N.J.
Medium: Series of conceptual portraits of herself in disguising make-up and costumes
Motif: Investigation into distorted ideas of beauty, self-image and aging
Insightful quote: "If I knew what the picture was going to be like, I wouldn't make it. … the challenge is more about trying to make what you can't think of."
Signature Piece: Untitled Film Stills (1977-1980)

3) Lorna Simpson
Born: 1960 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Medium: Multi-panel cropped photographs with engraved text
Motif: Examination of underlying racism and sexism in American culture
Insightful quote: "The way I operate is in this very fragmented way, not as a whole subject. I don't interpret the world or the things around me within one ideological scope."
Signature Piece: You're Fine (1988)