Mother Earth Tree Woman Drawing

Judy Chicago: Mother Earth + Cohanim

Jessica Silverman is pleased to present two shows by Judy Chicago: "Mother Earth," an exhibition of new and historic works expressive of the artist's longstanding concern for the environment and climate justice; and "Cohanim," a series of porcelain paintings, commemorating Leonard Cohen and his lyrics. Chicago will enjoy a retrospective survey at the De Young Museum in San Francisco in November 2021.

Judy Chicago
Wrestling with the Shadow, 1982
Prismacolor on rag paper
29 x 23 inches / 73.7 x 58.4 cm
33.5 x 25.5 inches / 85.1 x 64.8 cm, framed

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Wrestling with the Shadow, 1982

Judy Chicago
Was She Being Leveled by Life?, 1985
Prismacolor on Stonehenge
30 x 22 inches / 76.2 x 55.9 cm
33.5 x 25.5 inches / 85.1 x 64.8 cm, framed

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Was She Being Leveled by Life?, 1985

Judy Chicago
Pressing Himself Against Her, 1982
Prismacolor on rag paper
30 x 22 inches / 76.2 x 55.9 cm
33.5 x 25.5 inches / 85.1 x 64.8 cm, framed

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Pressing Himself Against Her, 1982

Chicago was an eco-feminist before the term was coined. Her desire for both ecological harmony and egalitarian societies has fueled her art from her 1960s "Atmospheres" to her recent portraits of endangered species. In her cosmic 1980s "Shadow" drawings, Chicago creates ombre shaded maps, which explore the complexity of love, power and interdependence in intimate relationships.

Judy Chicago
Birth Tear/Tear, 1982
Embroidery on silk
20.5 x 27.5 inches / 52.1 x 69.9 cm
27.8 x 34.8 inches / 70.7 x 88.4 cm, framed

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Birth Tear/Tear, 1982

Judy Chicago
Creation of the World: Petit Point 2, 1984
Petit point over drawing on silk mesh
5 x 9.25 inches / 12.7 x 23.5 cm
10.75 x 15 inches / 27.3 x 38.1 cm, framed

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Creation of the World: Petit Point 2, 1984

Judy Chicago
Guided by the Goddess, 1985
Silkscreen on Grey Rives BFK
30 x 40 inches / 76.2 x 101.6 cm
32 x 42 inches / 81.3 x 106.7 cm, framed
Edition 26 of 75

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Guided by the Goddess, 1985

In the "Birth Project," primordial mothers merge with the landscape – their hair splayed like sunrays. While the Madonna and child are everywhere in art, images of the natural miracle of birth are rare. These works are Chicago's attempt to displace the Book of Genesis with a feminist version of the Creation.

Judy Chicago
Through the Flower, 1991
Serigraph
31 x 30 inches / 78.7 x 76.2 cm
33 x 32 inches / 83.9 x 81.3 cm, framed
Edition 66 of 100

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Through the Flower, 1991

Judy Chicago
Potent Pussy / Homage to Lamont 1, 1973
Lithograph on rice paper
12 x 12 inches / 30.5 x 30.5 cm
14 x 14 inches / 35.6 x 35.6 cm, framed
Artist's Proof

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Potent Pussy / Homage to Lamont 1, 1973

Judy Chicago
Submerged/Emerged #1, 1976/2005
Sprayed acrylic on cast paper
34 x 44 inches / 86.4 x 111.8 cm

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Submerged/Emerged #1, 1976/2005

The butterfly is an ancient symbol of liberation and resurrection, which Chicago sees as a metaphor for emancipated womanhood. "Submerge/Emerge" (1976) is the last work available in this rare series of paintings on molded paper. Through the Flower is an iconic sun/womb image, based on a 1970s painting by the same name, which was used on the cover of Chicago's 1975 autobiography.

Judy Chicago
Smoke Bodies, 1972; from Women and Smoke, printed 2018
Archival pigment print
40 x 40 inches / 101.6 x 101.6 cm, paper size
40.5 x 40.5 inches / 103 x 103 cm, framed
Edition 3 of 3 + 2 AP

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Smoke Bodies, 1972; from Women and Smoke, printed 2018

Judy Chicago
Pink Atmosphere, 1971, Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, printed 2018
Archival pigment print
30 x 40 inches / 76.2 x 101.6 cm, paper size
30.5 x 40.5 inches / 77.5 x 102.9 cm, framed
Edition 1 of 3 + 2 AP

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Pink Atmosphere, 1971, Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, printed 2018

Judy Chicago
Smoke Holes #2, 1969, printed 2018
Archival pigment print
40 x 40 inches / 101.6 x 101.6 cm, paper size
40.5 x 40.5 inches / 103 x 103 cm, framed
Edition 3 of 3 + 2 AP

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Smoke Holes #2, 1969, printed 2018

While her male peers cut down giant redwoods and bulldozed earth into lakes to make their earthworks, Chicago created low-impact, sustainable, organic "Atmospheres." Acclaimed as "gestures of liberation," these smoke performances could be the enchanted clouds of a witches' coven—colorful feminizations or wand-waving endorsements of the majesty of nature.

Judy Chicago
Trinity (outdoor version), 1965-2019
Matthews polyurethane paint on stainless steel
Overall installation dimensions: 64 x 127 x 60 inches / 162.6 x 322.6 x 152.4 cm
Edition of 3 + 1 AP

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Trinity (outdoor version), 1965-2019

Judy Chicago
Dark Red, Blue, Green Domes (small), 1968
Sprayed acrylic lacquer on acrylic glass
9 3/8 x 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches / 23.8 x 39.4 x 39.4 cm

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Dark Red, Blue, Green Domes (small), 1968

Judy Chicago
Three Circles, 1968
Sprayed acrylic lacquer on acrylic in artist's frame
15.24 x 15.24 inches / 38.71 x 38.71 cm

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Three Circles, 1968

Well before the rainbow was adopted as a symbol of gay pride, the polychromatic spectrum was a vital ingredient in Chicago's work. "Minimalism was supposed to be genderless, universal, and devoid of emotion, which is why color was so objectionable," explains Chicago. Among other themes, the artist's 1960s geometric abstractions represent repressed female sexual desire.

Judy Chicago
Hopelessly Entwined, 1996
Mixed media on Magnani paper
30 x 22 inches / 76.2 x 55.9 cm
33.5 x 25.5 inches / 85.1 x 64.8 cm, framed

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Hopelessly Entwined, 1996

Judy Chicago
Severed Trees, 1996
Mixed media on Magnani paper
30 x 22 inches / 76.2 x 55.9 cm
33.5 x 25.5 inches / 85.1 x 64.8 cm, framed

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Severed Trees, 1996

Judy Chicago
Bony Tree, 1995
Mixed media on Magnani paper
30 x 22 inches / 76.2 x 55.9 cm
33.5 x 25.5 inches / 85.1 x 64.8 cm, framed

Judy Chicago
Turn Over a New Leaf, 2003
Painting, applique, and embroidery on linen and charmeuse
21 x 27.5 inches / 53.4 x 69.9 cm

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Turn Over a New Leaf, 2003

In the 1990s, Chicago's concern for climate change was expressed in a series of color drawings, validating the dignity and lifeforce of trees in the face of drought. More recently, the artist created "Before It's Too Late," a series of portraits of animals endangered in the American South West. These tender drawings and paintings give recognition to creatures "who have a right to live and to be who they are," as Chicago puts it.

Judy Chicago
Soul Mates, 2019-2020
China paint on porcelain
12 x 16 inches / 30.5 x 40.6 cm
15.7 x 19.7 inches / 39.9 x 50.1 cm, framed

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Soul Mates, 2019-2020

Judy Chicago
What About the Mexican Spotted Owl?, 2018
Prismacolor on Magnani paper
11 x 15 inches / 28 x 38.1 cm
12.4 x 16.4 inches / 31.5 x 41.7 cm, framed

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What About the Mexican Spotted Owl?, 2018

Judy Chicago
Live and Let Live, 2019-2020
China paint on porcelain
12 x 16 inches / 30.5 x 40.6 cm
15.7 x 19.7 inches / 39.9 x 50.1 cm, framed

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Live and Let Live, 2019-2020

Judy Chicago
Can We Let Them Live In Peace?, 2019
Prismacolor on Magnani paper
11 x 15 inches / 28 x 38.1 cm
12.4 x 16.4 inches / 31.5 x 41.7 cm, framed

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Can We Let Them Live In Peace?, 2019

Judy Chicago
Land Grab, 2019-2020
China paint on porcelain
12 x 16 inches / 30.5 x 40.6 cm
15.7 x 19.7 inches / 39.9 x 50.1 cm, framed

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Land Grab, 2019-2020 (porcelain)

Judy Chicago
Land Grab, 2019
Prismacolor on Magnani paper
11 x 15 inches / 28 x 38.1 cm
12.4 x 16.4 inches / 31.5 x 41.7 cm, framed

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Land Grab, 2019 (on paper)

Judy Chicago
Attention Please, 2019-2020
China paint on porcelain
12 x 16 inches / 30.5 x 40.6 cm
15.7 x 19.7 inches / 39.9 x 50.1 cm, framed

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Attention Please, 2019-2020

Judy Chicago
What is the Price of Losing Diversity?, 2019
Prismacolor on Magnani paper
11 x 15 inches / 28 x 38.1 cm
12.4 x 16.4 inches / 31.5 x 41.7 cm, framed

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What is the Price of Losing Diversity?, 2019

Judy Chicago
El Lobo, 2019-2020
China paint on porcelain
12 x 16 inches / 30.5 x 40.6 cm
15.7 x 19.7 inches / 39.9 x 50.1 cm, framed

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El Lobo, 2019-2020

Judy Chicago
Is the Lobo Worth Saving?, 2018
Prismacolor on Magnani paper
11 x 15 inches / 28 x 38.1 cm
12.4 x 16.4 inches / 31.5 x 41.7 cm, framed

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Is the Lobo Worth Saving?, 2018

Judy Chicago
Study for Bird on a Wire, 2018
China paint and pen on porcelain
10 x 14 inches / 25.4 x 35.6 cm
13 x 17 x 2 1/4 inches / 33 x 43.2 x 5.7 cm, framed

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Study for Bird on a Wire, 2018

Judy Chicago
Bird on a Wire, 2018
China paint and pen on porcelain
10 x 14 inches / 25.4 x 35.6 cm
13 x 17 x 2 1/4 inches / 33 x 43.2 x 5.7 cm, framed

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Bird on a Wire, 2018

"Leonard Cohen's lyrics often seemed to perfectly express my feelings at various points in my life… I am so deeply moved by the rhythms that inform his music, perhaps because of our shared lineage. He is the grandson of a Talmudic scholar and I am descended from twenty-three generations of rabbis."
—Judy (Cohen) Chicago

Cohanim, 2018
China paint and pen work on porcelain, 10 pieces
10 x 14 inches / 25.4 x 35.6 cm, each
13 x 17 x 2 1/4 inches / 33 x 43.2 x 5.7 cm, each, framed
Price On Request