Last summer, I had the privilege of experiencing Judy Chicago's iconic installation, The Dinner Party (1979), situated at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Upon entering the exhibit, I could sense an undeniable wave of what I can only describe as "girl power" permeating the room. Enclosed by complete darkness, the radiant white triangle was impossible to overlook.
Initially, Judy Chicago embarked on her project under the title Twenty-Five Women Who Were Eaten Alive, but she soon realized that this concept fell short of her vision. Subsequently, with the dedicated assistance of numerous volunteers, she tirelessly worked on "The Dinner Party" (1979) from 1974 to 1979. The completion of this remarkable endeavor cost over $250,000, excluding the contributions of the volunteers. The installation toured 16 different venues in six countries before finding settling in the Brooklyn Museum in New York.
This piece showcases 39 notable women, both mythological and real, through a triangular pattern of table settings. Judy Chicago's mission with The Dinner Party is to put an end to the enduring pattern of neglect in which women have been overlooked in historical accounts. Chicago’s installation is rich with detail and hidden symbolism; evidently, a lot of thought was put into this piece. You’ll have to visit the Brooklyn Museum to get the full effect, but I’ll try to summarize it in this article.
Each place setting is dedicated to an important woman in history with a unique china plate, cutlery, chalice, and embroidered table mat. The china plates are adorned with either butterfly or floral elements, intentionally reminiscent of vulvas, symbolizing femininity. Through this remarkable creation, Judy Chicago pays homage to often overlooked “feminine” art forms, such as textile arts and china painting, elevating them to “high art.” The plates begin flat and dimensional, but as you walk around the triangle, the plates become more sculptural and dimensional, representing modern woman’s increasing independence.
The triangular table, measuring 48 ft on each side, is symbolic of femininity and purposefully equilateral to signify equality. Each side is filled with 13 place settings, a reference to the 13 members in the Last Supper, an important juxtaposition as they were all men. The three wings separate these women in chronological order:
Wing 1 (Prehistory to the Roman Empire): Primordial Goddess, Fertile Goddess, Ishtar, Kali, Snake Goddess, Sophia, Amazon, Hatshepsut, Judith, Sappho, Aspasia, Boadicea, Hypatia
Wing 2 (Christianity to the Reformation): Marcella, Saint Bridget, Theodora, Hrosvitha, Trota of Salerno, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hildegarde of Bingen, Petronilla de Meath, Christine de Pisan, Isabella d’Este, Elizabeth I, Artemisia Gentileschi, Anna van Schurman
Wing 3 (the American Revolution to Feminism): Anna Hutchinson, Sacajawea, Caroline Herschel, Mary Wollstonecraft, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Blackwell, Emily Dickinson, Ethel Smyth, Margaret Sanger, Natalie Barney, Virginia Woolf, Georgia O’Keeffe
The floor the table stands on has a name of its own: Heritage Floor. It’s made up of over 2000 white triangular tiles that bear the names of 988 women (and 1 man) in gold cursive. The man included on accident is the Greek sculptor Kresilas, who was thought to be a woman named Cresilla. Chicago’s criteria to be included on the Heritage Floor goes as follows:
She had made a worthwhile contribution to society.
She had tried to improve the lives of other women.
Her life/work had illuminated significant aspects of women’s history.
She had been a role model for a more egalitarian future.
As with any significant artwork, Judy Chicago faced a lot of criticism for The Dinner Party. Some critics found the installation too sexual and perceived it as disrespectful towards the women it celebrated. Furthermore, there were concerns about the selection of women for the place settings, with critics pointing out the lack of diversity, as Sojourner Truth was the sole black woman represented. One of the most contentious issues surrounding the installation was the lack of recognition given to the numerous volunteers and collaborators who played an instrumental role in bringing Chicago's vision to life. This controversy is ironic considering the message and intent of the piece, which aimed to end the historical omission of women. The controversy highlights the complexities and challenges that can arise when addressing gender, representation, and recognition in the context of art and history.
With that said, the overall reception has been positive. Personally, I think the intention and the execution of this installation is beautifully done. I love how personalized each table place is, and I almost feel that I could identify the woman from the table setting without the embroidered name. .
Judy Chicago once produced a limited edition set of functional plates based on those in The Dinner Party. Regrettably, these are no longer available for purchase. Nevertheless, there are several books that delve deep into the exhaustive 9-year creative process and conceptualization of this installation, which I highly recommend exploring (here).