Carolee Schneemann Gets the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

Carolee Schneemann will be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 57th International Art Exhibition of Biennale di Venezia -–VIVA ARTE VIVA.

The decision was made by the Board of Directors of la Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta, upon recommendation of the curator Christine Macel, acknowledging that with the following motivations:

“Carolee Schneeman (born in Fox Chase in Pennsylvania in 1939, lives and works in Hudson Valley, New York) is one of the most important figures in the development of the Performance and Body Art. She is the pioneer of feminist performance of the early ‘ 60 and used her body as a main subject of her art. In doing so, the artist conceives the woman both as a creator and as an active part of creation itself. In contrast to the traditional portrayal of women as mere objects naked, Schneemann used the naked body as primitive and archaic force capable of unifying the energies. Her style is direct, sexual, liberating and autobiographical. The artist promotes the importance of sensual female pleasure and exploring the possibilities for political emancipation and personal from the social and aesthetic conventions predominant. Through the exploration of a wide range of media such as painting, film, video art and performance, Schneemann rewrites a personal history of art, rejecting the idea of a story told exclusively from the male point of view”.

The award will be given to Carolee Schneemann on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at Ca’ Giustinian, headquarters of the Venice Biennale, during the awards ceremony and opening of the Biennale, which opens to the public on the same day at 10 am.