Document 14: Guerrilla Girls, "Guerrilla Girls' Identities Exposed!" 1990, in Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls, by the Guerrilla Girls (whoever they really are) (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995), p. 67.

Document 14: Guerrilla Girls, "Guerrilla Girls' Identities Exposed!" 1990, in Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls, by the Guerrilla Girls (whoever they really are) (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995), p. 67.

Introduction

        Anonymity plays a large part in the strategy and success of the Guerrilla Girls. Dissatisfied with people's limited exposure to female artists both past and present, many of the Girls adopted their names as stage names in an attempt to revive interest in the work. This tactic also drew attention to the fact that the group members are themselves anonymous, arguing that the issues they address, not their personalities, should take center stage in their cause. Wearing gorilla masks at public events also shielded their identities. In this 1990 poster, the Guerrilla Girls listed the names of 550 women associated with the art world, who may or may not have been part of the Guerrilla Girls. Here the group played with the universality of their message and kept critics on their toes.

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Copyright © 1990 by the Guerrilla Girls

 
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