Feminist Visionary
Marjorie Strider (1931-2014) was an iconic American painter, sculptor, and performance artist known for her distinctive three-dimensional paintings and soft sculptural installations. Born in Oklahoma, she began her artistic journey at the Kansas City Art Institute before relocating to New York City in the early 1960s. Embracing the emerging pop art movement, Strider’s work stood out with its feminist undertones and the unique dimensionality of her creations.
During the late 1950s, the pop art movement was taking shape within the American avant-garde, and Strider found herself at its forefront. Her three-dimensional paintings, featuring beach girls with exaggerated curves, garnered attention at the “International Girls Show” hosted by the Pace Gallery. Founded in Boston in 1960, the Pace Gallery has since expanded to multiple locations in New York, London, Hong Kong, and more. Strider’s work, showcased alongside prominent pop art giants like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, catapulted her to stardom across America. Notably, her painting of a pornographic woman with a radish became the banner image for the exhibition at Pace Gallery.
Marjorie Strider’s bold figurative work from the provocative era of the 1960s aimed to challenge and subvert the sexist representations of women prevalent in popular culture. Following her initial success, she expanded her artistic repertoire by creating volume paintings featuring women in bikinis, as well as three-dimensional renderings of vegetables, fruits, flowers, clouds, and other natural phenomena. Strider became a core member of the avant-garde club in the 1960s, actively participating in the pop art scene’s happenings and gaining widespread popularity during that vibrant era.
In 1965, Strider broke another glass ceiling when she ventured into new artistic territory by making chocolate casts based on the breasts of her close friend, Patty Oldenburg—an iconic figure in the Sixties New York art scene. This fearless exploration further solidified Strider’s place as a boundary-pushing artist.
During the 1970s, Marjorie Strider shifted her artistic focus from hard sculpture paintings to soft sculpture. She was among the first artists to work with polyurethane foam, crafting soft sculptures that challenged traditional artistic mediums. One of the highlights of her career came in the 1980s when her retrospective exhibition toured the United States between 1982 and 1985, showcasing her influential body of work.
As the 1990s arrived, Strider’s artistic style underwent further evolution. She began painting works with tactile surfaces that leaned toward abstraction, distancing herself from the waning popularity of pop art. Unfortunately, her influence gradually diminished, and she passed away at her New York City home on August 27, 2014, at the age of 83.
Marjorie Strider’s contributions to the pop art movement and her unconventional approach to art continue to inspire artists and challenge societal norms. Her bold exploration of feminist themes and the innovative use of materials have left an indelible mark on the art world.