Stereotypes and Women Artists

Originally published as "Art Criticism and Women Artists" in Feminist Art Journal in April 1972, this article is about the stereotypes that women artists have faced and demolishes the idea that there were no great women artists-- they've just been hidden from history! For this article, I did extensive...

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My memories of Eva Hesse

Earlier today I saw a lovely tweet from a young art history student: Cindy Nemser's interview with Eva Hesse never fails to bring a tear to my eye. What a life of such success and tragedy to have lived. — SarahElizabeth (@Sarah__Gill) January 26, 2016 It brought back memories of Eva Hesse, so I wanted to share the article I wrote along with that interview, first published in Feminist Art...

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"Women in this culture often become male chauvinists, thinking that if they combine with the men, they may be pardoned for being a hole rather than a club" -Alice Neel, born today in 1900

Being Painted by Alice Neel Cindy Nemser and Chuck (1975), oil on canvas, 105.41 cm x 75.565 cm In 1975, at the age of 38, I was decided it was time for me to let Alice Neel paint my portrait. She had asked to do it when I first met her years earlier but I declined fearing I would like Frankenstein’s...

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Cheers to Vito Acconci

As Vito Acconci closes his retrospective at MoMA P.S.1, I am brought back to my encounters with him back in the 1970s. My interview with him was published in Arts Magazine in March 1970 and I wrote about my experiences with him in my memoir Firebrand.  Here is an excerpt about Vito...

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Letter from Katherine Spencer

February 2014 Hello Cindy,        I am pleasantly surprised to have found your email address online, and I hope you don't mind my contacting you. I am a thirty year old painter living with my husband in Cambridge, Massachusetts. unfortunately I have never had a significant woman teacher or artistic mentor, although I have plenty of peers who are women artists. I just learned...

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