Judy Chicago (Chicago, Illinois, 1939) is a multifaceted artist has never ceased to develop a particular feminine aesthetic, questioning male dominance and celebrating the success of women, who are often forgotten or relegated to second place. To the sharp, angular lines of her contemporaries, she prefers generous, sensual, colourful and suggestive curves, in which spirals and shells evoke the symbols of female power. Judy Chicago has discovered the fundamental role of goddesses in antiquity and in different cultures around the world. Giving women back their divine dimension, letting these inspiring and creative figures bring to light buried parts of history: these are the ideals that have guided her reflections on countless themes, including embroidery, for almost sixty years.
During her collaboration with Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior, she contributed her profound knowledge of women's history, but also of sewing and textiles. In addition, she has lectured internationally, published fourteen books and co-founded the Feminist Art Program at California State University, Fresno in 1970. This unprecedented initiative continued with painter Miriam Schapiro on the occasion of the Womanhouse exhibition, created by a number of female artists and a group of female students from the prestigious California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), who were encouraged to think beyond conventions and social dictates.