In the early 1970’s, Judy Chicago concentrated on fusing her abstract iconography with a new-found determination to openly express her experiences as a woman, something that had been impossible when she was in college. During this period, she expanded the central-core imagery that has become emblematic of her work. In such landmark paintings as Through the Flower, Let It All Hang Out, and Heaven is for White Men Only (executed in sprayed acrylic on canvas), the artist began to find her voice as a woman. These images evolved into a series entitled the Great Ladies, in which she represented various important women in history. It was at this same time that – through a self-guided study – Chicago was discovering the erasure of women’s achievements, a discovery that would fuel her major work, The Dinner Party.
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Judy Chicago, Red Flag, 1971, photo-lithograph, 20 x 24 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Gunsmoke, 1971, offset lithography, 17.5 x 21.5 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Love Story, 1971, offset lithography, 16.25 x 12.5 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Childhood's End #1, 1972, Prismacolor on paper, 23 x 23 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Silver Doorways (Proof C), 1972, hand-colored lithograph with collage, 22 x 22 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, The Liberation of the Great Ladies, 1973, sprayed acrylic and ink on canvas, 40 x 40 in., collection of the Rachofsky Collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Elizabeth in Honor of Elizabeth from the Great Ladies series, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Christine of Sweden from the Great Ladies series, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Queen Victoria from the Great Ladies series, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Marie Antoinette from the Great Ladies series, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Mme. De Stael from the Reincarnation Tryptich, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo by Silvia Ros
Judy Chicago, George Sand from the Reincarnation Tryptich, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo by Silvia Ros
Judy Chicago, Virginia Woolf from the Reincarnation Tryptich, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Photo by Silvia Ros
Judy Chicago, Let It All Hang Out, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 80 x 80 in., collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Heaven is for White Men Only, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 80 x 80 in., collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Through the Flower, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Through the Flower 2, 1973, sprayed acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 in., private collection. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Peeling Back, 1974, offset lithography on rag paper, 28.5 x 22 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, What is Feminist Art?, 1977, lithograph, 12.5 x 10 in. © Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Judy Chicago, Suzanne Lacy, Sandra Orgel, and Aviva Rahmani (sponsored by Feminist Art Program at CalArts), Ablutions, 1972, performance with mixed media, Guy Dill's studio, CA. Photo courtesy of Through the Flower archives
Judy Chicago, Suzanne Lacy, Sandra Orgel, and Aviva Rahmani (sponsored by Feminist Art Program at CalArts), Ablutions, 1972, performance with mixed media, Guy Dill's studio, CA. Photo courtesy of Through the Flower archives
