Judy Chicago: Revelations
Judy Chicago, Peeling Back, 1974. Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation Collection.
-© Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Photo © Donald Woodman/ARS, NY
This exhibition is on view from 6 February until 23 August 2026
Jewish Museum
Admission € 20.00
Judy Chicago: Revelations
Revelations is a solo exhibition by iconic feminist artist Judy Chicago. Known for challenging the male-dominated art world, Chicago explores themes of gender, power, and social justice. Her focus on language, creation, and forgotten stories reflect her Jewish heritage. It is Chicago’s first solo presentation in the Netherlands.
About the artist
Judy Chicago (1939) gained prominence in the late 1960s for making work from a woman-centred perspective that challenged the male-dominated art world. Chicago’s work is characterised by a commitment to craft and experimentation, evident in her subject matter, methodology and choice of materials.
Erasure, visibility and feminism
Throughout her six-decade career, Chicago has addressed the absence of women in the Western cultural canon. She developed a distinctive visual language that gives visibility to women’s experiences. Her work engages with themes such as birth, masculinity, Jewish identity, power, extinction, and climate justice.
The exhibition: Revelations
The exhibition is named after an unpublished illuminated manuscript Chicago created in the early 1970s while working on The Dinner Party (1974–1979), a monumental installation that symbolises the achievements of 1038 women now permanently housed at the Brooklyn Museum, New York. In 2024, the manuscript was published for the first time by Serpentine and Thames & Hudson.
Drawing, process and performance
Organised around the chapters of the manuscript, the exhibition focuses on drawing. It brings together early abstract and minimalist works, archival and previously unseen material, immersive video installations of site-specific performances, and preparatory studies for major projects including The Dinner Party, Birth Project, and PowerPlay. Participatory elements, including a video recording booth and audio-visual components, invite visitors to actively engage with the exhibition and explore the breadth of Chicago’s practice.
Joods perspectief
Chicago, born Judith Cohen, has always drawn inspiration from her Jewish background, which shaped her focus on language, creation, justice, and forgotten stories. The exhibition reveals how these Jewish themes and traditions form a fundamental source for her feminist artistic practice.
Judy Chicago: Revelations runs from 6 February to 23 August 2026 at the Jewish Museum.
Judy Chicago: Revelations events
Book
The book Judy Chicago: Revelations, with the illustrated manuscript, an introduction by Chicago, contributions by Chris Bayley and Martha Easton, and a conversation between Chicago and Hans Ulrich Obri, will be available for purchase in the Jewish Museum’s museum shop.
In collaboration with
Judy Chicago: Revelations is initiated and organised by the Serpentine, London with Joods Cultureel Kwartier. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine, and Chris Bayley, Exhibitions Curator, Serpentine, with Liz Stumpf, Assistant Exhibitions Curator, Serpentine; and Judith Hoekstra, Curator, and coordinated by Isabel da Costa.
In collaboration with
With gratitude to
This exhibition has been made possible thanks to the supporters of de VriendenLoterij, Stichting Collectieve Maror-gelden Nederland, Stichting Levi Lassen, Stichting Maatschappij tot Nut der Israëlieten in Nederland, Hans&Pieter van AnDelden Fonds, Prof. dr. Herman Musaph Fonds, Jonas Daniel Meijer Fonds and Friends of the Jewish Cultural Quarter.
Made possible by
