#socialartcommentary
“Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into the Met. Museum?” is a poster created by the Guerrilla Girls in 1989. They are a group of anonymous, female artists who are known for their devotion to fighting sexism and racism within the art world. This particular poster is a feminist social commentary and critique that was provoked by the International Survey of Painting and Sculpture exhibition, held in 1984 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. This exhibition included the work of 169 artists, less than 10% of whom were women. Although female artists had played a central role in experimental American art of the 1970s, their presence in museum and gallery exhibitions were diminished dramatically. This prejudice therefore inspired the Guerrilla Girls to speak out in an artistic way, that targeted everyone they felt actively responsible for the exclusion of women and non-white artists from mainstream exhibitions and publications.
The poster itself displays an image of a partially censored naked lady, commenting on the still prevalent patriarchal times of society. It comments largely on the woman’s worth, presenting her to be seen in a sexualised light by civilisation, but then also highlighting the stupidity of this through the witty and sarcastic title. Although displayed to be very bare, the woman is still able to keep her identity hidden through the Gorilla mask, reflecting also on the artists’ own anonymity. Combining bold block text with lists and statistics allowed for the Girls to appropriate the visual language of advertising and have it actually be recognised by the public in the streets. Through the means of displaying social commentary within art in a still very sexist world, the Guerrilla Girls were able to influence minds and fulfil their responsibility of reaching a wider audience. Their use of wit and irony to point a critical finger at double standards prevalent in the art world and elsewhere was, and still is, a very important motive to help make a change.
