From Conceptualism to Feminism: Lucy Lippard’s Numbers Shows 1969–74

Between 1969 and 1974, Lucy Lippard curated four exhibitions of contemporary art, which have become renowned as her “numbers shows.” Each took the population of the city in which it was shown as its title: 557,087 in Seattle, 955,000 in Vancouver, 2,972,453 in Buenos Aires and c. 7,500, which opened in Valencia, California, before touring the U.S. and then traveling to London. From Conceptualism to Feminism follows Lippard’s curatorial trajectory, analyzing her transition from a writer about art to a maker of exhibitions, and tracing her growing political engagement and involvement with feminism. Extensive photographic material is complemented by a major new essay by Cornelia Butler and interviews with Lucy Lippard, Seth Siegelaub and with artists in c. 7,500. The volume also includes an analysis of artists’ initiatives in Argentina, which give a context for Lippard’s emerging political consciousness. From Conceptualism to Feminism is the third publication in Afterall’s Exhibition Histories series, which investigates exhibitions that have shaped the way contemporary art is experienced, made and discussed.