Censorship, Politics and Sexual Imagery in the Work of Jewish-American Feminist Artists

Looking at the social and political context, this article examines sexual imagery in the visual art of nine Jewish-American feminist artists from the 1960s through the 1980s: Judith Bernstein, Judy Chicago, Martha Edelheit, Eunice Golden, Joyce Kozloff, Joan Semmel, Nancy Spero, Anita Steckel and Hannah Wilke. It draws parallels with the work of Jewish-American women in the theater, from Sophie Tucker to Eve Ensler. The activism of these feminist artists fits in with the heritage of Jews, who, motivated by their belief in social justice and desire for political reform, turned to radical politics, first in eastern Europe and then in America. Some of this sexually explicit work has provoked attempts at censorship, disregarding the frequently metaphoric force of the subject. The works of art and the struggles summarized in this paper should heighten awareness that the drive for free expression in art is intimately linked with women's quest to claim their sexuality, agency and power, and that Jewish women have been among the pioneers in that quest.