Joan Semmel (American, born in 1932) belongs to a group of the most important postwar artists that have shaped the canon of today’s contemporary art. A successful abstract painter with a great sense of color, Semmel discovered feminism in the 1970s and, from then on, decided to use her art to transform traditional ideas about female beauty, sexuality and roles in society. Semmel has never abandoned painting what was considered by feministic theoreticians and activists as an oppressive man-related artistic medium, which makes her one of the very few feminist painters who finally dared to continue using this medium while promoting women’s liberation.

Semmel’s early erotic paintings, in which she depicted couples having sex, were followed by paintings in which she painted herself nude, often showing her body cropped since this is how she perceived herself. Primarily because of practical reasons, she used herself as the main figure, as she was always available as her own model and free of charge, and her works started to address the difficult issue of aging, and the aging body that we prefer not to see. Now in her 90s, Semmel still paints herself naked, using her virtuous brushstroke, brilliant application of colors and complex compositions, as in Shameless (2022). The painting shows the artist as an old woman, naked, and without idealization of her body, which she ‘shamelessly’ presents to the viewer without trying to please or behave well. Such an attitude signals power, and Semmel’s ability of being in charge of her life. Semmel’s works joined many important institutional and private collections, while she herself has become a role model for many women artists who appreciate her excellent artistic skills, but also her civil courage, and perseverance of ideas.