Carolee Schneeman Work Offered at Auction
Carolee Schneemann (1939–2019) was a groundbreaking American artist known for her work across painting, performance art, film, video, and installation. Her practice consistently pushed boundaries around the body, sexuality, gender, and taboo subjects, and she is widely considered one of the central figures in the development of feminist art in the 20th century.
845 Lavender and Pandora (Diptych)
Originally trained as a painter at Bard College and the University of Illinois, Schneemann began to integrate her body into her artworks in the early 1960s, creating visceral performances that challenged the traditionally male-dominated art world. Some of her most influential works include:
“Meat Joy” (1964): A raw, ecstatic group performance involving partially clothed bodies, paint, paper, and raw meat, celebrating sensuality and physical liberation.
“Interior Scroll” (1975): A famous performance in which Schneemann extracted a scroll from her vagina and read a text aloud, directly confronting ideas of female agency, authorship, and objectification.
“Fuses” (1964–67): A short film in which she recorded herself and her partner engaging in sexual acts, treating sexuality from a female perspective rather than through the lens of male voyeurism.
"My work became a bridge that had to be crossed by young feminists working with their bodies."
Schneemann’s work often explored how personal experience, particularly female sexuality and bodily experience, could serve as valid sources for serious artistic expression. She faced considerable resistance and censorship throughout her career, but has since been recognized as a major influence on later generations of artists. Late in her life, she received significant honors, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
Abell Auction Company is proud to offer this exceptional mixed media work, 845 Lavender and Pandora (Diptych) by Carolee Schneemann as part of our May Fine Art, Jewelry, and Important Estates Auction.