Title: A Brief History of Protest Art
Headings: A Brief History of Protest Art
A Brief History of Protest Art
From the Dadaists to Guerrilla Girls, here are the most politically impactful artists of the last century.
The Dadaists
Mexican Muralists
Jacob Lawrence
Gordon Parks
Danny Lyon
William Kentridge
Ana Mendieta
Guerrilla Girls
Feminist Studio Workshop
Carrie Mae Weems
Nancy Spero
PAD/D
Martha Rosler
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Get the best of Format Magazine delivered to your inbox.

Content: Her oeuvre takes the form of performance, installation, film, bookworks, and sound pieces. Ana Mendieta died prematurely—it is popularly thought that her husband and artist Carl Andre threw her out the window of her New York apartment. However, charges were never made, and her death is officially considered an accident. “A Guerrilla Girl poses in front of a billboard in 2002 that criticizes the Academy Awards not far from where they are presented in Hollywood.” via NYT
Guerrilla Girls
Feminist Anonymous Artists
In 1985, the Guerrilla Girls sprung to action as anonymous, gorilla mask-wearing protesters. They fought the lack of recognition and inclusion for women and people of colour in the art world. The Guerrilla Girls are still active today, as we continue to face these issues, and the member identities are still concealed. The group of activists use pseudonyms of dead female artists to keep their work alive. The group protests, speaks, and performs publicly, in art institutions and private galleries. Their concealed identities helps to protect the members from ruining their primary careers as artists.