A One-Work-Artist? Carolee Schneemann and the Reception of her Work

Carolee Schneemann is well known for her performances from the 1960s and 70s, some of them - like Meat Joy (1964) and Interior Scroll (1975) - have even been canonized. Nevertheless, the artist seems not to be satisfied with the reception of her work, something that became clear in a more recent performative lecture, Remains to be Seen (2008). In this article the author uses Moderna Museet's acquisition of the photographic documentation of Interior Scroll as starting point to discuss Schneemann's view of her work alongside the reception of critics, museums, and art history in general. Schneemann sees herself as a painter while she has become part of art history as performance artist. The question addressed is how, and if, the museum should react to this discrepancy. Is it a good decision to acquire the work that always is the only one mentioned when Schneemann is discussed? On the one hand, the museum continues along a well-trodden path, further cementing the canon. On the other hand, even Schneemann's major works are not well-known by the general public. The acquisition fulfils the task of making her better known. Seen strategically, in the light of Griselda Pollock's visionary "virtual feminist museum", Interior Scroll provides for a foundation for continued work. The juxtaposition of performance and painting is intriguing and productive; now that there is a starting point, this might be arranged more easily. The important task (this holds true not only for the museum) is to provide for different stories to be told.