Guerrilla Girl Founder Revealed as Artist Joyce Kozloff

Acclaimed pattern and decoration artist Joyce Kozloff revealed her identity as a founding member of the anonymous feminist art collective Guerrilla Girls in an interview published this week on Art Journal. Kozloff was instrumental in establishing the group in 1985 and remained an active participant until 1991. The Guerrilla Girls are renowned for their direct-action interventions aimed at exposing misogyny and racism within the art world.

Kozloff explained that the collective's commitment to anonymity was not about avoiding backlash but rather about focusing attention on the issues rather than individual members. "I argued for anonymity because I didn’t want attention to be on us as individuals," Kozloff stated. "I wanted it to remain on the issues." During her tenure, she drafted "The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist" (1988), one of the collective's most recognized works, inspired by her observations of male colleagues during a Kohler Art/Industry Residency.

The Guerrilla Girls operate under pseudonyms of deceased women artists and writers. Founding members reportedly adopted names such as "Frida Kahlo" and "Käthe Kollwitz." The group continues its activism today, utilizing surprise exhibitions and public interventions to challenge inequalities in the art industry. Kozloff's decision to reveal her involvement after 40 years marks a significant moment in the history of the influential feminist art collective.