VAULT: Nancy Spero Letter to Lucy Lippard (1971)
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
10.29.2020
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Email
“Dear Lucy, The enemies of women’s liberation in the arts will be crushed. Love, Nancy” — Nancy Spero
Forty-nine years ago, on October 29, 1971, Nancy Spero sent a short letter – one amongst an ongoing series of letters between the two friends – to writer Lucy Lippard expressing her desires regarding those who opposed women’s liberation in the arts. This extraordinary letter is among the archives of Lucy Lippard that are now held at the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution. Nearly 50 years later, the AAA created this tribute to Spero and Lippard featuring dozens of artists who carry on the fight.
From the Archives of American Art:
In her brief, one-sentence letter to the renowned writer, critic, curator, and activist Lucy Lippard, artist Nancy Spero expresses the sentiment shared with many of her peers who were fighting for equal recognition for women artists. Together with the papers of artists and writers including Emma Amos, Linda Nochlin, and Kathy Vargas and the records of organizations like the Women’s Building in Los Angeles, Spero’s letter reveals both her personal perspective, and the passion and determination of the feminist movement. This film gives voice to her battle cry through her contemporaries and through younger artists who continue to push for the diversity of the art world to be recognized and celebrated.
