In this reflection, Chloë Bass remembers Lorraine O’Grady’s generosity, mentorship, and intellectual clarity. Through personal correspondence and encounters over the years, Bass highlights O’Grady’s enduring concept of “both/and”—a rejection of rigid binaries—and her ability to articulate ideas about race, power, and culture that continue to shape generations of artists and thinkers.
Though Lorraine O’Grady began her artistic career later in life, she became one of the most influential conceptual artists of her generation. Through performances, photo-collages, and writing, she challenged ideas of race, class, and gender, most notably in her groundbreaking 1992 essay Olympia’s Maid: Reclaiming Black Female Subjectivity, which critically examined representations of the Black female body in Western culture.
Faith Ringgold, Frank Stella, Richard Serra, Audrey Flack, Yong Soon Min, and Lorraine O’Grady were among the artists we lost in 2024. We also honor Palestinian artists killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, alongside many others whose contributions continue to shape the field.
Lorraine O’Grady, the path-breaking conceptual artist whose work critiqued racism and sexism in the art world, has died at 90 in New York. Known for her conceptually driven practice spanning performance, photography, collage, and text, she challenged binary thinking and centered Black subjectivity. Her influence has only grown in recent years, culminating in the acclaimed retrospective Both/And at the Brooklyn Museum.
Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024), the conceptual and performance artist who transformed how audiences understand race, gender, and identity, died at 90. Beginning her art career at 45, she created groundbreaking works like Cutting Out The New York Times and championed Black female subjectivity, while her incisive writing and performances challenged systemic erasure and segregation in the art world.
Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024), the trailblazing conceptual artist, used performance, collage, and writing to confront the art world’s racial and gender hierarchies. From her first collages in Cutting Out the New York Times to the fearless persona Mademoiselle Bourgeoise Noire, O’Grady challenged Black artists and institutions alike, blending wit, audacity, and Black feminist insight to transform how audiences see identity, creativity, and self-expression.
Lorraine O’Grady, the conceptual artist and critic known for her incisive explorations of race, gender, and class, has died at 90. Beginning her artistic career in midlife after working as a research economist, she became widely recognized for her diptychs and cultural criticism, as well as her writing for Rolling Stone and The Village Voice. Her profile rose significantly in the past decade, cementing her legacy as a vital and influential voice in contemporary art.
Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024), a one-of-a-kind conceptual artist, challenged racism, sexism, and cultural hierarchies through fearless performances, photography, and writing. After early careers as an economist and rock critic, she turned to art in her 40s, creating provocative works like Mlle Bourgeoise Noire. A true risk-taker, O’Grady redefined the boundaries of art and identity, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary culture.
Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024), an indefatigable conceptual artist whose work critiqued definitions of identity, died in New York on Friday aged 90. O’Grady confronted the structures of race, gender, and class while celebrating self-definition, dialogue, and the humanity at art’s core.
Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024), a pioneering conceptual and performance artist, used her work to challenge racism, sexism, and class hierarchies while centering Black women’s voices. Known for her powerful persona Mlle Bourgeoise Noire and her iconic performance Art Is . . ., O’Grady redefined how identity, language, and art intersect in the fight for visibility and change.
Lorraine O’Grady (1934–2024) was a groundbreaking conceptual and performance artist whose work confronted race, gender, and power with incisive wit and emotion. From Mlle Bourgeoise Noire to Art Is . . ., her art and writing redefined Black female subjectivity and inspired generations to see themselves as part of art’s narrative.
Lorraine O’Grady was a conceptual artist and cultural critic whose work explored race, identity, and representation through multimedia and performance. Best known for works such as Art Is … and her persona Mlle Bourgeoise Noire, she challenged institutional racism and expanded ideas about who art is for.
Lorraine O’Grady reflects on a decades-long career challenging racism and exclusion in the art world, as she presents her first museum retrospective at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College. Nearly 50 years into her practice, her recognition marks a long-overdue moment for an artist whose influence has steadily reshaped cultural discourse.
A series of high-profile benefit events brought glamour to New York, including the Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women Dinner, attended by Salma Hayek Pinault and Emma Watson, and the Natural Resources Defense Council comedy benefit honoring Anna Scott Carter. In the arts, Creative Capital hosted its inaugural banquet, while IRL Gallery celebrated its new space in Chinatown.