Independent 20th Century 2026
"I consider the usual aids to self-definition — sex, age, talent, time, and space — as tyrannical limitations upon my freedom of choice." (Eleanor Antin, 1974)
We will offer an edited survey of her trajectory from 1971-1978 when Antin emerged as one of the most important and iconic artists of her generation: early Conceptual text work; vintage prints from 100 Boots; and photographs of personas The Angel of Mercy, The King, and The Ballerina. An early feminist, Antin challenged definitions of sculpture, performance, and self-portraiture, as well as the formal gallery system in New York City. Her groundbreaking practice spans five decades and engages themes surrounding identity, gender, autobiography, class, and social structures, employing a multi-disciplinary approach which includes narrative self-portraiture, sculpture, installation, drawing, writing, film, and, most notably, photography and performance.
For the past fifty-five years, Antin has performed and exhibited her work nationally and globally. Recently, History Tales. Fact and Fiction in History Painting was at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (2023-2024); and her 2019 solo exhibition Time's Arrow at LACMA traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago. Recent major solo exhibitions include Multiple Occupancy: Eleanor Antin's "Selves," curated by Emily Liebert at The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University (2013) & ICA Boston (2014); Eleanor Antin: Historical Takes, San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA), CA (2008); Eleanor Antin: Real Time Streaming, Arnolfini, Bristol, UK, and Mead Gallery, Warwick, UK (2001); and Eleanor Antin Retrospective, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (1999). Her work is in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Whitney Museum of American Art ; the Museum of Modern Art; the Jewish Museum; LACMA; The Hammer; The Morgan Library; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others. She was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1997. The artist lives in San Diego, California.
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