Archives and Resources for Feminist Research

Getty Research Institute (GRI) Special Collections hold the archives of eminent artists, writers, galleries, and curators whose work—while not always self-identified as feminist—had an impact on feminist art and the art world since the 1960s. These collections offer insight into the development of these artists' and writers' practice. Drawings, scripts, or photographs allow for the study of ephemeral works such as performance, happenings, or dance, to which the artists brought innovative approaches, while letters and notes give an account of day-to-day thoughts related to projects, personal matters, and professional exchanges. The library's holdings of key literature and exhibition catalogs complement and contextualize the narratives of individual archives. Special Collections also holds several institutional collections from Southern California and New York that are foundational to these narratives such as The Kitchen, the Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive, and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), as well as extensive holdings related to the Woman's Building.

This research guide is part of the Expanding the Study of Performance in Women Artists' Archives project (2020-26), which aims to expand the historiography of feminist performance art and related practices through exhibitions, research, and events. The research guide highlights archives, digitized collections, and other resources relevant to the study of feminist art. While not intended as a comprehensive bibliography on the subject, the guide has identified titles in the "Bibliographies” section that serve as a general introduction. The guide will be updated as new collection material is acquired.

The Library is open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5pm. Contact us with questions or to make an appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room by calling (310) 440-7390 or emailing reference@getty.edu.