In 1973, facing rejection from New York galleries unwilling to exhibit her boldly honest depictions of the human body, Joan Semmel took matters into her own hands. She invested her life savings in a small space on Prince Street, transforming it into a gallery and launching her artistic career with a solo exhibition. “I believed in the work, and I wanted it to be seen,” Semmel recently shared. Now, her enduring legacy is celebrated in “Joan Semmel: In the Flesh,” a compelling exhibition at the Jewish Museum (on view through May 31, 2026) showcasing 16 oil paintings spanning five decades. These works fearlessly confront themes of nudity and sexuality, reclaiming the narrative on a woman’s terms. The sheer scale of Semmel’s canvases is striking; Skin in the Game (2019) stretches an impressive 24 feet wide and 8 feet tall, a testament to her expansive vision and physical engagement with the medium.
From Madrid to Manhattan: A Life Dedicated to Artistic Freedom
Born in the Bronx in 1932, Semmel’s artistic journey took an unexpected turn in the 1960s with a seven-year sojourn as an abstract expressionist in Madrid. Her work found success, with solo shows traveling to Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Despite the conservative social climate of Francoist Spain – where divorce was illegal and daily newspapers prominently featured Catholic saints – Semmel experienced a degree of artistic freedom as a foreign artist. Returning to New York in 1970 as a single mother of two, following a separation prompted by her husband’s career, she found a drastically different landscape.
The early 1970s were marked by the pervasive sexualization of women in media and pornography, often catering to male fantasies. As John Berger eloquently observed in Ways of Seeing (1972), “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” Semmel was deeply disturbed by this imbalance within the so-called sexual revolution, yearning for genuine equality in representation. This frustration fueled her creation of explicitly erotic paintings, imbued with the vibrant palette of abstract expressionism, lending her subjects an ethereal quality of pink, orange, or green.
Reclaiming the Female Form
Historically, the depiction of nude women – from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) to Courbet’s The Origin of the World (1866) and Wesselmann’s Great American Nudes (1961–73) – has largely been the domain of male artists. Semmel directly challenged this tradition, daring to address taboo subjects and correct the power dynamic. Her work, such as Flip-Flop Diptych (1971), which portrays a couple alternating positions of dominance, and Intimacy-Autonomy (1974), depicting lovers in equal repose, actively subverted conventional representations of sexual relationships.
Semmel’s iconic “self-images” – paintings of her own body from her perspective, often adorned only with her signature turquoise ring – represent a particularly potent assertion of agency. These are not traditional self-portraits, she clarifies, as she isn’t concerned with likeness or status. Instead, they are a direct confrontation of the male gaze, reclaiming ownership of her own image. Through the Object’s Eye (1975) and Sunlight (1978), where she tenderly caresses her own body, exemplify this defiant act of self-possession.
The triptych Mythologies and Me (1976) is a particularly striking example of Semmel’s critical engagement with cultural norms. She juxtaposes a self-image with parodies of a Playboy centerfold and Willem de Kooning’s Woman I (1952). By defacing these iconic images – adorning the Playmate with lace and feathers and adding a nursing nipple to de Kooning’s abstracted figure – Semmel dismantles the forces of commercialization and artistic appropriation.
Semmel’s work aligns her with other second-wave feminist artists who challenged censorship and objectification, including Carolee Schneemann, Betty Tompkins, Tee Corinne, and Judy Chicago. Her contributions resonate with landmark works like Schneemann’s Fuses (1967), Tompkins’ Fuck Paintings (1969–74), Corinne’s Cunt Coloring Book (1975), and Chicago’s The Dinner Party (1979), now a permanent fixture at the Brooklyn Museum.
Over time, Semmel’s self-nudes evolved, prompting reflection on societal attitudes towards aging bodies. Skin in the Game (2019), her largest work to date, stands as a powerful statement of defiance. Rather than diminishing with age, Semmel continues to challenge prevailing prejudices, asking us to confront our own biases: What excites you? What repulses you? And, crucially, why?
The act of exposing oneself is inherently vulnerable, even for the artist. In Parade (2023), Semmel’s nude figure appears to shy away from the viewer’s gaze. Alice Neel’s five-year struggle to complete a nude self-portrait at age 80, described as nearly fatal due to the emotional intensity, echoes this sentiment. Semmel herself admitted in a 2016 interview with the Brooklyn Rail that presenting her work can be unsettling, but it’s a necessary part of her artistic process. “My work has been dedicated to empowering women,” she stated, “and in order to empower women, I had to empower myself first.”
What role does art play in challenging societal norms around the female body? And how can artists contribute to a more equitable and inclusive representation of sexuality?
“Joan Semmel: In the Flesh” is on view at the Jewish Museum through May 31, 2026.
More Exhibition Reviews
-
Dutch Golden Age Treasures from Thomas Kaplan’s Leiden Collection Take Center Stage in West Palm Beach
-
At SLAM, Anselm Kiefer’s Material Transformations
-
One Fine Show: “The Stars We Do Not See, Australian Indigenous Art” at the National Gallery of Art
-
In Rotterdam, Mandy El-Sayegh Offers Up an Assault on the Senses
-
Samuel Sarmiento’s Ceramics Channel Universal Memory in His U.S. Debut
Frequently Asked Questions About Joan Semmel’s Work
What is the central theme explored in Joan Semmel’s paintings?
Joan Semmel’s paintings primarily explore themes of female sexuality, the female gaze, and the power dynamics inherent in the representation of the human body, particularly the female form. She challenges traditional artistic conventions and societal expectations surrounding nudity and desire.
How did Joan Semmel overcome the challenges she faced as a female artist in the 1970s?
Facing rejection from established galleries, Joan Semmel boldly created her own space to exhibit her work. This act of self-determination, coupled with her unwavering commitment to her artistic vision, allowed her to bypass traditional gatekeepers and establish a direct connection with her audience.
What is the significance of Semmel’s “self-images” in relation to the male gaze?
Semmel’s “self-images” are a direct challenge to the male gaze. By depicting her own body from her own perspective, she asserts control over her image and rejects the objectification often imposed upon women in art and society.
How does Semmel’s work connect to the broader feminist art movement?
Joan Semmel’s work is deeply rooted in the second-wave feminist movement, aligning her with artists like Carolee Schneemann, Betty Tompkins, and Judy Chicago who challenged censorship, objectification, and patriarchal structures in the art world.
What makes ‘Skin in the Game’ (2019) a particularly important work in Semmel’s oeuvre?
’Skin in the Game’ (2019) is significant not only for its immense scale but also for its continued exploration of themes of aging, vulnerability, and defiance. It represents Semmel’s ongoing commitment to challenging societal prejudices and reclaiming agency over her own body.
Share this article with your network and join the conversation in the comments below. What are your thoughts on Semmel’s groundbreaking work and its continued relevance today?
Disclaimer: Archyworldys provides art news and commentary. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional art advice.
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
