Judy Chicago | Gerowitz Rare Wood Blocks

Judy Chicago

Gerowitz Rare Wood Blocks 

Self-published, 1967 

29 x 31 x 10 cm.

Edition of 3 initialed, dated and numbered copies

Judy Chicago was born Judith Sylvia Cohen, and took her husband's name when she married Jerry Gerowitz in 1961. Two years later - when Judy was only 23 - he died in a car accident. Rather than reverting to her maiden name, the artist legally changed her name to the nickname she had been given by gallerist Rolf Nelson: Judy Chicago. 

She posted a banner across the gallery at her 1970 solo exhibition at California State University at Fullerton, that read: "Judy Gerowitz hereby divests herself of all names imposed upon her through male social dominance and chooses her own name, Judy Chicago.” The same declaration was published as an ad in ArtForum in the October 1970 issue (below). 

This work was produced three years prior to the name change. It consists of twelve Indian Rosewood blocks housed in a canvas bag, accompanied by an initialed, dated and numbered card. 

The work was drawn to my attention by Micah Lexier, who replied to AA Bronson’s question about where the three editions are located:

“One seems to be in collection of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and was gifted by Michael Asher, another seems to be in the collection of Museo Jumex, and another looks like it was up for auction, but not sure if that one ended up in either of those collections or is actually a third."

 

"By reducing minimalist sculpture to the scale of a child's plaything, the blocks also seem like a damning proto-feminist critique of Minimalism as a male dominated, "boys & their toys" clique, which feels especially prescient for 1967.” 

- Greg Allen, 2009