Austria
• 1940
Biography
Wanting to reclaim the narrative of her identity, Waltraud Hollinger renamed herself Valie Export (also stylized as VALIE EXPORT) inspired, in part, by a cigarette brand. A multi-media Austrian artist, Export's œuvre encompasses video installations, photography and sculpture; however she is most widely known for her performance art.
Export's performances challenged prior conceptualizations of the female body, as a sexualized, passive object. Her provocative, boundary-pushing works have cemented her position in the feminist art history canon.
Export has been internationally recognized for her work. In 2021 she was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society and in 2010 she received the Grand Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria. The city of Linz opened a research center dedicated to her works in 2016.
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When was Valie Export born?
The year of birth of the artist is: 1940