Illustrated with more than 100 color plates and duotones, this is an unprecedented examination of the impact that specific women artists, working in California in the latter 20th century, have had on broadening the definition of art. Twenty scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds investigate how the vast sociopolitical changes of the post-World War II era affected these women, and how ensuing events influenced the art that they produced. Because California became a gateway for a myriad of immigrants and an epicenter for the feminist movementwith a history of activism, a culture of experimentation, and a reputation for innovative technology and mediathe state has evolved into a crucial and inspirational environment for women artists.
"An impressive and illuminating survey of art by women in California during the last half of the 20th century. Some of the images are intentionally shocking and unsettling, some are fanciful and lyrical, some are unashamed works of agitprop, and a few are all of these at once.... [The art] always speaks for itself, and thus allows us to understand what the essayists are trying to say."LATBR
