Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). The Dinner Party, 1974–79. Ceramic, porcelain, textile, 576 x 576 in. (1463 x 1463 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10
The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago is an important piece of feminist art of the 1970’s comprised of a mixed-media installation that combines craft media with sculpture. The Dinner Party depicts a large ceremonial banquet, arranged on an equilateral triangular table covered with thirty-nine place settings, each celebrating an important woman in history. Each side of the triangular table represents a different epoch: Wing I depicts historical feminine figures from prehistory to the Roman Empire (e.g., Queen Hatshepsut); Wing II, famous women from the beginnings of Christianity to the Reformation (e.g., Elizabeth I of England); and Wing III, celebrated women from the American to the Women's Revolution (e.g., Virginia Woolf).
Each table setting is unique and consists of an embroidered runner commemorating the life and achievements of the woman it honors. The central piece of each setting is a china-painted porcelain plate with raised motifs representing a vulva in a design that reflects the woman at The Dinner Party. The installation sits on a white tile floor onto which the names of 999 other women have been inscribed. The following three table settings depict a celebrated woman from each of the three Wings of the triangular table.
Wing I: Queen Hatshepsut, fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt
The runner in Queen Hatshepsut’s place setting is embroidered with her name surrounded by Egyptian hieroglyphics and motifs. The colors and design of the plate reflect colors that one might find on the walls of Queen Hatshepsut’s temple at Karnak.
Wing II: Queen Elizabeth I of England
The runner in Queen Elizabeth I of England’s is embroidered with the queen’s name surrounded by Elizabethan motifs on a royal gold background.
Wing III: Virginia Woolf
The runner in Virgina Woolf’s setting is simple and elegant, reflecting the private nature of the writer. At the very bottom of the runner are embroidered the names of other writers whose work reflect intersecting realities and fictions with those of Virginia Woolf, like Collette.
Works Cited
The Dinner Party. Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art. Brooklyn Museum.
Accessed at:
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/5167/The_Dinner_Party/
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