Cooper Union hosted a public commemoration of the life and work of Nancy Spero, pioneering feminist artist, on April 18, at 3pm. Speakers were slated to include friends, artists, arts professionals and writers: Benjamin Buchloh, Donna De Salvo, writer Christopher Lyon, Bartomeu Marí, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Kiki Smith, Robert Storr, and Nora York, among others, although the volcano dust crisis curtailed the visits of several of the Europeans.
Nancy Spero was born in Cleveland and lived in Paris before settling in Manhattan, where she died in October at the age of 83. Her figurative work since the 1960’s unapologetically addressed the pervasive abuse of power, Western entitlement, male dominance, and the realities of political violence, especially against women. She is regarded as an iconic figure and a leading feminist artist. She was featured in the award winning series “Art 21.”
In partnership with husband Leon Golub, her politically committed work was incredibly influential to several generations of artists, including Kiki Smith.
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