Encyclopedia subject

20th-century performance artists

90 published records, arranged alphabetically. Each entry is published only where a named source supports it.

Ainhoa Arteta IbarrolaburuPerson · Music memorabiliaAinhoa Arteta Ibarrolaburu, better known as Ainhoa Arteta (born 24 September 1964), is a Spanish soprano.
Alighiero BoettiPhotographer · PhotographyAlighiero Fabrizio Boetti, known as Alighiero e Boetti (16 December 1940 – 24 April 1994) was an Italian painter, sculptor and conceptual artist, considered to be a member of the art…
Alison KnowlesArtist · PaintingsAlison Knowles (April 29, 1933 – October 29, 2025) was an American visual artist known for her installations, performances, soundworks, and publications.
Alvin LucierPerson · Music memorabiliaAlvin Augustus Lucier Jr. (May 14, 1931 – December 1, 2021) was an American experimental composer and sound artist.
Andrea JenkinsAuthor · BooksAndrea Jenkins (born May 10, 1961) is an American politician, writer, performance artist, poet, and transgender activist.
Angela RawlingsAuthor · BooksAngela Snæfellsjökuls Rawlings or Angela Marie Rawlings (known as a rawlings) is a Canadian-Icelandic interdisciplinary artist-researcher who works with languages as dominant exploratory…
Antoni TauléPhotographer · PhotographyAntoni Taulé (born 1945) is a Spanish painter, architect, and performer. A street artist during the sixties, his art has been labelled as part of hyperrealism and a representative of the…
Atsuko TanakaArtist · SculptureAtsuko Tanaka (田中敦子, Tanaka Atsuko; February 10, 1932 – December 3, 2005) was a Japanese avant-garde artist. She was a central figure of the Gutai Art Association from 1955 to 1965.
Bruce NaumanArtist · SculptureBruce Nauman (born December 6, 1941) is an American artist. His practice spans a broad range of media including sculpture, photography, neon, video, drawing, printmaking, and performance.
Cai Guo-QiangPhotographer · Photography
Carolee SchneemannPhotographer · PhotographyCarolee Schneemann (October 12, 1939 – March 6, 2019) was an American visual experimental artist, known for her multi-media works on the body, narrative, sexuality and gender.
Chris BurdenEngraver · PrintsChristopher Lee Burden (April 11, 1946 – May 10, 2015) was an American artist working in performance art, sculpture, and installation art.
Christian MarclayPhotographer · PhotographyChristian Marclay (born January 11, 1955) is a visual artist and composer. He holds both American and Swiss nationality.
Christoph SchlingensiefPerson · Film memorabiliaChristoph Maria Schlingensief (24 October 1960 – 21 August 2010) was a German theatre director, performance artist, and filmmaker.
DadaraIllustrator · IllustrationDadara or Daniel Rozenberg (born 8 February 1969, Łódź, Poland) is a Dutch artist of Polish ancestry known for his flyers, paintings, album covers, statues and performance artwork.
David ToopAuthor · BooksDavid Toop (born 5 May 1949) is an English musician, author, curator, sound artist, and academic, widely known for his work on improvisation, sound culture, and listening practices.
Dennis OppenheimArtist · SculptureDennis Oppenheim (September 6, 1938 – January 21, 2011) was an American conceptual artist, performance artist, earth artist, sculptor and photographer.
Diamanda GalásArtist · PaintingsDiamanda Galás (born August 29, 1955) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, visual artist, and activist.
Dick RaaymakersArtist · SculptureIllustration — A mural of Raaijmakers in Eindhoven, Netherlands
El KazovskyArtist · PaintingsEl Kazovsky (July 13, 1948 – July 21, 2008) was a Russian-born Hungarian painter, performer, poet and costume designer who was one of the leading Hungarian painters of his time.
Faith RinggoldArtist · SculptureFaith Ringgold (born Faith Willi Jones; October 8, 1930 – April 13, 2024) was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps…
George MaciunasEngraver · PrintsGeorge Maciunas (Jurgis Mačiūnas; November 8, 1931 – May 9, 1978) was a Lithuanian American artist, art historian, and art organizer who was the founding member and central coordinator of…
Gerhard StäblerPerson · Music memorabiliaIllustration — Gerhard Stäbler (2019)
GG AllinPerson · Music memorabiliaKevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock musician who performed and recorded with many groups during his career.
Hermann NitschPhotographer · PhotographyHermann Nitsch (29 August 1938 – 18 April 2022) was an Austrian contemporary artist and composer.
Ion GrigorescuPhotographer · PhotographyIon Grigorescu (born March 15, 1945, in Bucharest) is a Romanian painter who was one of the first Romanian conceptual artists.
Jan FabreArtist · SculptureJan Fabre (born 14 December 1958) is a Belgian artist known for his contributions to theater, literature, and visual arts.
Jean TinguelyArtist · SculptureJean Tinguely (22 May 1925 – 30 August 1991) was a Swiss sculptor best known for his kinetic art sculptural machines (known officially as Métamatics) that extended the Dada tradition into…
Jean-Philippe ToussaintPerson · Film memorabiliaJean-Philippe Toussaint (29 November 1957, Brussels) is a Belgian novelist, photographer and filmmaker.
Jerzy ZielińskiArtist · Paintings
Jochen GerzArtist · SculptureJochen Gerz (born 4 April 1940) is a German conceptual artist who lived in France from 1966 to 2007.
Jon RosePerson · Music memorabiliaJonathan Anthony Rose (born 19 February 1951) is an Australian violinist, cellist, composer, and multimedia artist.
Kathy AckerAuthor · BooksKathy Acker (April 18, 1947 [disputed] – November 30, 1997) was an American experimental novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, critic, performance artist, and postmodernist writer, known…
Kay RosenEngraver · PrintsKay Rosen (born 1943, Corpus Christi, TX) is an American painter. Rosen's paintings are included in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los…
Krzysztof WodiczkoPhotographer · PhotographyKrzysztof Wodiczko (born April 16, 1943) is a Polish artist known for his large-scale slide and video projections on architectural facades and monuments.
Kurdwin AyubPerson · Film memorabiliaKurdwin Ayub (Kurdish: Kurdvîn Eyûb; born 1990) is a Kurdish-Austrian filmmaker and artist based in Vienna.
Lara FavarettoArtist · SculptureLara Favaretto (born 1973 in Treviso) is an Italian artist. Favaretto lives and works in Turin, Italy.
Leigh BoweryDesigner · FashionLeigh Bowery was an Australian dancer, entrepreneur, actor, model, fashion designer and performance artist (1961–1994). He was born in Sunshine and died in London.
Leon BothaArtist · PaintingsLeon Botha (4 June 1985 – 5 June 2011) was a South African painter and disk jockey.
Liu BolinArtist · SculptureLiu Bolin (simplified Chinese: 刘勃麟; traditional Chinese: 劉勃麟; pinyin: Liú Bólín; born 7 January 1973) is a Chinese contemporary artist who specialises in self-portraits where he is…
Lonnie HolleyArtist · SculptureLonnie Bradley Holley (born February 10, 1950), sometimes known as the Sand Man, is an American artist, art educator and musician.
Luciano FabroArtist · SculptureLuciano Fabro (November 20, 1936 – June 22, 2007) was an Italian sculptor, conceptual artist and writer associated with the Arte Povera movement.
Lydia LunchPerson · Film memorabiliaLydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959) is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker.
Lynda BenglisArtist · SculptureLynda Benglis (born October 25, 1941) is an American sculptor and visual artist known especially for her wax paintings and poured latex sculptures.
Maren HassingerArtist · SculptureMaren Hassinger (born Maren Louise Jenkins in 1947) is an African-American artist and educator whose career spans four decades.
Martha RoslerPhotographer · PhotographyMartha Rosler (born 1943) is an American artist. She is a conceptual artist who works in photography and photo text, video, installation, sculpture, site-specific and performance, as well…
Maurizio CattelanPhotographer · PhotographyMaurizio Cattelan (born 21 September 1960) is an Italian visual artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealistic sculptures and installations, Cattelan's practice also includes curating and…
Michael DruksArtist · Paintings
Mike KelleyArtist · SculptureMichael Kelley (October 27, 1954 – c. January 31, 2012) was an American artist whose work involved found objects, textile banners, drawings, assemblage, collage, performance, photography,…
Milo MoiréArtist · PaintingsMilo Moiré (born 7 May 1983) is a Swiss pornographic performer and conceptual artist who produces nude performances and uses her body in her art.
Minerva CuevasArtist · PaintingsMinerva Cuevas (born 1975) is a Mexican conceptual artist known for site-specific interventions guided by social and political research and social change ideals.
Mona HatoumArtist · SculptureMona Hatoum (born 1952) is a British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London.
Myriam LaplantePhotographer · PhotographyMyriam Laplante (born 1954) is a Canadian artist. Laplante studied visual arts and linguistics at the University of Ottawa.
Myriam MihindouArtist · SculptureMyriam Mihindou (born in 1964 in Libreville, Gabon) is a Franco-Gabonese contemporary artist. She lives and works in Paris.
Nil YalterPhotographer · PhotographyNil Yalter (born 1938) is a Turkish contemporary feminist artist. She attended Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey.
Olja IvanjickiArtist · SculptureOlja (Olga) Ivanjicki (Serbian Cyrillic: Оља Ивањицки; 10 May 1931, in Pančevo – 24 June 2009, in Belgrade) was a Serbian painter, sculptor and poet.
ORLANArtist · SculptureOrlan (stylized as ORLAN) is a French multi-media artist who uses sculpture, photography, performance, video, video games, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and robotics as well…
Oswald WienerAuthor · BooksOswald Wiener (5 October 1935 – 18 November 2021) was an Austrian-Canadian writer, cyberneticist, language theorist, musician and restaurateur.
Otomo YoshihidePerson · Music memorabilia
Paul McCarthyArtist · SculpturePaul McCarthy (born August 4, 1945) is an American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Peter CusackPerson · Music memorabiliaPeter Cusack is an English artist and musician who is a member of CRiSAP (Creative Research in Sound Arts Practice), and is a research staff member and founding member of the London College…
Peter WeibelAuthor · BooksPeter Weibel (Austrian German: [ˈvaɪbl], lang; 5 March 1944 – 1 March 2023) was an Austrian post-conceptual artist, curator, and new media theoretician.
Raheleh FilsoofiArtist · CeramicsRaheleh Filsoofi (born 1975) is an Iranian and American interdisciplinary artist, and educator.
Ramón GielingDesigner · Modern designRamon Gieling (21 April 1954 – 5 April 2026) was a Dutch film director, screenwriter and author. He notably received a Crystal Film award in 2015 for Erbarme dich.
Rebecca HornArtist · SculptureRebecca Horn (24 March 1944 – 6 September 2024) was a German visual artist best known for her installation art, film directing and body modifications such as Einhorn (Unicorn), a body-suit…
Red GroomsIllustrator · IllustrationRed Grooms (born Charles Rogers Grooms on June 7, 1937) is an American multimedia artist best known for his colorful pop-art constructions depicting frenetic scenes of modern urban life.
Robert KuśmirowskiPhotographer · PhotographyRobert Kuśmirowski (born 1973) is a Polish contemporary artist whose work includes sculpture, installations, performance and photography.
Robert RauschenbergArtist · SculptureMilton Ernest "Robert" or "Bob" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and multi-media artist, whose work has been associated with numerous mid-20th century…
Rudolf SchwarzkoglerPhotographer · PhotographyRudolf Schwarzkogler (13 November 1940 – 20 June 1969) was an Austrian performance artist closely associated with the Viennese Actionism group that included artists Günter Brus, Otto Mühl,…
Rummana HussainPhotographer · PhotographyRummana Hussain (1952–1999) was an Indian conceptual, visual, and performance artist best known for her multi-media and installation-based work exploring "female subjectivity trapped in…
Sanja IvekovićPhotographer · PhotographySanja Iveković (born 1949 in Zagreb) is a Croatian photographer, performer, sculptor and installation artist.
Santiago SierraPhotographer · PhotographySantiago Sierra (born 1966) is a Spanish artist, known for performance art and installation art. Much of his work deals with the topic of social inequities.
SantigoldPerson · Music memorabiliaSanti White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer and songwriter.
Sarah LucasArtist · SculptureSarah Lucas (born 1962) is an English artist. She is part of the generation of Young British Artists who emerged in 1988.
Semyon SkrepetskyArtist · PaintingsSemyon Skrepetsky (also rendered as Simon Skrepecki; born Robert Mubaryakovich Kuzovkov, also known as Robert Burdai and Skreponosny Buzotyor;
Serge LemoyneArtist · PaintingsSerge Lemoyne (sɛʁʒ ləmwan; June 13, 1941 – July 12, 1998) was a Canadian artist from Quebec. He worked as a performance artist as well as creating paintings, assemblages and prints.
Serhiy ZhadanAuthor · BooksSerhiy Viktorovych Zhadan (born 23 August 1974) is a Ukrainian poet, novelist, musician, translator, and social activist. He has been a member of the ska band Zhadan i Sobaky since 2008.
Shia LaBeoufPerson · Film memorabiliaShia Saide LaBeouf (born June 11, 1986) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include a BAFTA Award and Daytime Emmy Award.
Stasys EidrigevičiusArtist · PaintingsStasys Eidrigevičius (born 24 July 1949 in Mediniškiai, Lithuania) is a painter and graphic artist.
Susan HefunaArtist · SculptureSusan Hefuna (Arabic: سوزان حفونه) is a German-Egyptian visual artist. She works in a variety of media, including drawing, photography, sculpture, installation, video and performance.
Tania BrugueraArtist · PaintingsTania Bruguera (born 1968 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban artist and activist who focuses on installation and performance art.
Taylor MeadPerson · Film memorabiliaTaylor Mead (December 31, 1924 – May 8, 2013) was an American writer, actor and performer.
Teddy SandovalArtist · CeramicsTheodore "Teddy" Sandoval (1949 – December 18, 1995) was an American multimedia artist widely known for his presence in the mail art movement as the "Butch Gardens School of Art." Born and…
Thomas KovachevichArtist · PaintingsThomas Kovachevich (born March 11, 1942) is an American contemporary visual artist and physician. Kovachevich's art practice is multi-faceted;
Tilda SwintonPerson · Film memorabiliaKatherine Matilda "Tilda" Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a Scottish actress. Known for her performances on both stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including an Academy…
Tracey RosePhotographer · PhotographyTracey Rose (born 1974) is a South African artist who lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rose is best known for her performances, video installations, and photographs.
Valery OisteanuPhotographer · PhotographyValery Oisteanu (Valeriu Oișteanu vaˈlerju o.iʃˈte̯anu; born September 3, 1943) is a Soviet-born Romanian and American poet, art critic, essayist, photographer and performance artist, whose…
Yoko OnoArtist · SculptureYoko Ono (usually spelled in katakana as オノ・ヨーコ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese retired artist, musician, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Yves KleinArtist · SculptureYves Klein (lang; 28 April 1928 – 6 June 1962) was a French artist and an important figure in postwar European art.
Zackary DruckerPhotographer · PhotographyZackary Drucker (born 1983) is an American multimedia artist, cultural producer, LGBT activist, actress, and television producer.

Related subjects

Performance Artists82
American performance artists32

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