The first major survey of Carolee Schneemann’s work in the UK, tracing her diverse, transgressive and interdisciplinary expression over six decades.
Schneemann was a radical artist who remains a feminist icon and point of reference for numerous contemporary artists to this day. Addressing urgent topics from sexual expression and the objectification of women to human suffering and the violence of war, her work is concerned with the precarious lived experience of humans and animals.
The exhibition will feature the artist’s early paintings; her experimental sculptural assemblages and kinetic works; her pioneering performance work in which she used her own body as a medium; her ground-breaking group performances; as well as her lyrical films and immersive multi-media installations. With over 200 objects and rarely seen archival material, this exhibition positions Schneemann as one of the most relevant, provocative and inspiring artists of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
This exhibition has been generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, Carolee Schneemann Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation and members of the Carolee Schneemann Exhibition Circle: Lonti Ebers, Steven Johnson, Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell, Galerie Lelong & Co., Hales Gallery, and P·P·O·W, New York.
Advance Booking is encouraged
Long umbrellas will not be allowed in the gallery
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
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Pay What You Can
Every Friday from 5pm – 8pm, entry to Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics is priced Pay What You Can.
Simply pick the price you can pay and enjoy the exhibition.
If you're able to pay £18, you'll be helping to support our Visual Arts programme at the Barbican.
Discover
Carolee Schneemann: Life story
Schneemann was a trailblazer, whose experimental work defies easy categorisation. In this article, read more about her fascinating life.
Carolee Schneemann: An Introduction
Trace the joyful and expressive life and work of radical artist Carolee Schneemann in our introductory film.
Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics Playlist
Schneemann had an interdisciplinary and diverse practice. It is perhaps then unsurprising that she also had a wide-ranging taste in music - as happy listening to Minimalism as Marvin Gaye. Listen to a selection of the records that she loved here.
Events
A series of screenings, tours, symposiums and more inspired by the life and work of Carolee Schneemann
Schools
Visual Arts Schools Offer
Schools and education groups are welcome to our diverse range of exhibitions. The Galleries are a stimulating place for students to experience major artworks from some of the world’s leading visual artists and learn about contemporary and modern art.
