American feminist artist Juanita McNeely has passed away at 87.
Portrait of Juanita McNeely. © 2023 James Fuentes. Courtesy of James Fuentes.
American artist Juanita McNeely passed away at 87. Across her six-decade career, the artist created work that tackled autonomy and resilience, fueled by her personal experiences and feminist activism. Known for her figurative paintings depicting the female experience, McNeely’s work furthers the dialogue around social issues such as abortion, bodily autonomy, and sexism. James Fuentes, which represented McNeely, confirmed her death in a statement this morning.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1936, McNeely became a prominent member of the second-wave feminist art movement. Her activism included involvement with the Fight Censorship group, Women Artists in Revolution (W.A.R.), and Redstockings. As a student in the 1950s, McNeely developed a multi-panel painting format to enrich her storytelling, allowing her to construct dynamic narratives about pain and beauty in the female experience.
Her work, such as Is it Real? Yes it is! (1969), on view at the Whitney Museum, reflects on her distressing personal experience searching for abortion treatment after finding out she had a tumor. The work, created before Roe v. Wade, is still a potent piece of sociopolitical commentary.
James Fuentes recently opened McNeely’s solo exhibition, “Moving Through,” in Los Angeles, which will remain on view until November 18th. Her artwork has been acquired by major institutions, such as the Queens Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, among others.