Meet Marilyn

When I was 13 years old, sneakily watching episodes of Gossip Girl, which I was definitely not allowed to be watching, I found myself struck by some paintings in the Van der Woodsen’s apartment. I remember searching online for the names of the pieces— “Stepping Up” and “Frostbite” by Marilyn Minter. Not yet an art history student, but just a teenager with a budding interest in art, I went with my family to an art fair to see one of Minter’s works in person. My knowledge of art history advanced and my understanding, and thus appreciation, for Minter’s works developed over time. It was quite surreal, ten years later, dialing Marilyn Minter’s number to interview her for the Brown Art Review. 

Marilyn Minter is an American artist known for her sensual paintings and photographs. Her works are done in the photorealism style. Minter began her artistic career as a college student. Subsequently, in 1989, she began creating more provocative and sexually-explicit imagery. 

When Minter started out, she was considered anti-feminist by groups of women who thought that her work was in collusion with the pornography industry. I spoke to Minter about the changing shape of discourse surrounding feminism today. She thinks they would have been more accepting now of other women making sexualized imagery—“They wouldn’t bat an eye today.”

In the ‘90s things were very different. Minter remembered artist Mike Kelley, “In the ‘90s he made art out of stuffed animals.” Kelley was making a commentary on culture’s obsession with repressed childhood trauma. Minter explains “he worked with felt, literally stuffed animals, wax, candles... he would glue images from magazines... decoupage…. Part of the reason it was so powerful was because it was a male artist doing it. It changed the meaning... I saw that show and I was walking home thinking what made it important and then it hit me... my subject matter should be the opposite... What do women never do?” 

Minter began exploring the works of other female artists—she knew of Carolee Schneemann, but not too many others. Looking to other female artists and thinking about what it means when a woman makes something, guided Minter. “I thought, what does it mean when a woman makes images for their own pleasure and their own amusement? And I was asking the questions and I thought everyone thought like me because all my friends did.” In 1989, Minter released her Porn Grid series which were scenes from porn movies depicted in a Pop Art manner. Minter says, “I was really shocked when I got canceled... I guess I got canceled!”

Now things have changed, “In a way I have this street cred because I was so early. I don’t get criticized that much anymore, but I’m still not accepted by institutions.” Marilyn Minter has never been in the Venice Biennale, and says she’s only been in a couple of museums showing regularly. “I think it’s still too scary for them to touch me.” Minter believes the reason is her subject matter.

Minter and I spoke about two of her hyper-realistic works in particular—women showering behind steamed glass and women’s dirty high-heeled shoes in mud. Even though they’re very different, they are thematically similar—“I was thinking about creating images of things we all know exist but have never seen the image.” This is the main idea behind pretty much everything Minter creates. For the mud series Minter explains, “We all know if you’re going dancing all night your feet are going to get dirty, but I just exaggerate it.” And then the bathers, she explains, “it was the same thing,” going on to explain the importance of the bather being painted by a woman: “women never paint other women grooming... I can give you a handful of women painting other women grooming, bathing, or combing their hair... it was men painting and I thought what does a 21^st century bather look like?” As paintings of bathers have historically been very voyeuristic in their nature and painted from the male gaze, Minter aimed to work against that. “Let’s see what it looks like? Does it change the meaning if women paint other women bathing?”

Minter did a series for a NY Times article titled “The Joys (and Challenges) of Sex After 70” with older women explaining, “I’m working with unconventional models now.” Minter explains that there is a relationship between age and acceptance of sexuality. “I am watching Madonna being so criticized because she is still performing sexuality in her 60s and she looks pretty good! We’re so culturally biased about sexuality in women after a certain age.” Minter explains there is a difference with how female artists are accepted as well. If you’re a young female artist creating provocative images, society is repelled, but if you’re older then you are powerful and embraced. Minter cites Mapplethorpe’s photograph of Louise Bourgeois holding a sculpture of a giant phallus. The double standard annoys Minter, “when you're Louise Bourgeois’s age, and you look like Louise Bourgeois you can do anything... and there’s that famous photograph of Mapplethorpe’s photograph.”

Even though Minter is no longer considered anti-feminist, and provocative images are generally more accepted than they were when Minter began, there still is a way to go.