Art History

RAFFAELLA PERNA

This course explores the intersections of visual art, political practice, and feminist thought in Italy
during the 1960s and 1970s. Through the analysis of artworks, women artists' collectives, women-
only exhibitions, and contemporary critical debates, students will gain a historical-critical and
theoretical understanding of this transformative period. Special emphasis will be placed on art-
historical approaches emerging from Women's and Feminist Studies, with particular focus on the
Italian context. The course will also highlight the pivotal role of Carla Lonzi and her influential
contributions to feminist theory and art criticism.

The course aims to provide a historical and theoretical understanding of the relationship between visual arts and feminism in the 1960s and 1970s in Italy through the study of works, art collectives and critical debate.

General knowledge of the protagonists and major trends in the history of art of the 19th and 20th centuries, acquired through the study of one of the reference manuals in the programs of the bachelor's degree program.

The course will cover the following topics:

The critical thinking of Carla Lonzi, Lea Vergine, Anne Marie Sauzeau

The curatorial activity of Romana Loda

Women-only exhibitions in Italy and abroad

Art collectives and links to the political practice of neo-feminism

Photography and feminism

The links between feminism and visual poetry, conceptual art and performance art

Students have to study:

Laura Iamurri, Un margine che sfugge. Carla Lonzi e l’arte in Italia 1955-1970, Quodlibet, Macerata 2016

Raffaella Perna,Arte, fotografia e femminismo in Italia negli anni Settanta, Postmedia Books, Milan 2013

Giorgia Gastaldon (a cura di), Now We Have Seen. Women and Art in 1970s Italy, Silvana Editoriale, 2024

Additional in-depth texts will be provided during the course, along with lecture slides.

Frontal teaching.
Projection of slides, audio and video materials.

Highly recommended

Final oral examination.

The mastery of the content and skills acquired, linguistic accuracy and lexical property, and the argumentative ability demonstrated by the candidate will be taken into account in the evaluation of the examination.

The most frequently asked questions are about women artists, movements, and exhibitions. By way of example only:

Analysis of Carla Lonzi's thought
Analysis of the curatorial activity of Mirella Bentivoglio
Analysis of the work and critical debate related to Judy Chicago's Dinner Party
Analysis of the curatorial work of Romana Loda

• Art and Feminism in Italy and the thought of Carla Lonzi  
  • Books: Laura Iamurri, Un margine che sfugge. Carla Lonzi e l’arte in Italia 1955-1970, Quodlibet, Macerata 2016


• All-female exhibitions in Italy 
  • Books: Giorgia Gastaldon (ed. by), Now We Have Seen. Women and Art in 1970s Italy, Silvana Editoriale, Milan 2024


• Gender Perspectives in Visual Poetry
  • Books: Giorgia Gastaldon (ed. by), Now We Have Seen. Women and Art in 1970s Italy, Silvana Editoriale, Milan 2024


• Feminist art collectives in Italy 
  • Books: Giorgia Gastaldon (ed. by), Now We Have Seen. Women and Art in 1970s Italy, Silvana Editoriale, Milan 2024


• Photography and feminism in Italy in the 1970s 
  • Books: Raffaella Perna, Arte, fotografia e femminismo in Italia negli anni Settanta, Postmedia Books, Milan 2013