Minter-Isms

A collection of inspiring and empowering quotations from an artist noted for her frank treatment of sex—and for her portraits of Madonna, Pamela Anderson, Lady Gaga, and Lizzo

Since the 1980s, Marilyn Minter has been a pioneer of sex-positive feminism in the contemporary art world, pushing the boundaries of what kind of imagery is acceptable in fine art, especially when produced by women. In her photorealistic paintings, including of celebrities such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Lizzo, Minter draws on the aesthetics of fashion magazines, depicting cropped women’s faces and bodies laden with jewels and couture accessories. In some of her work, she has explored how the meaning of pornographic imagery changes when it’s appropriated and transformed by a woman artist. Gathered from interviews, articles, and other sources, Minter-isms is a compelling collection of quotations that presents Minter’s revealing thoughts on art, women, power, sexuality, pornography, politics, and more. Filled with wisdom and humor, the book offers new insights about the life, work, and mind of this groundbreaking artist.

• “I used to think I was the worst person that ever lived, and that’s pretty narcissistic of me. I wasn’t even close.”
• “My whole goal was to see if it would change the meaning if women owned sexual imagery, if we actually started making imagery for our own pleasure and amusement.”
• “When it comes to sexual imagery even the most enlightened people can become paralyzed.”
• “I’m really glad to see mediocre women artists getting lots of attention, because the boys have been doing it for years. It’s about time we’re allowed mediocre women, too.”

Marilyn Minter is an American painter and photographer whose work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions around the world, including at MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Biennial, Guggenheim Bilbao, and Kunsthaus Zürich. Larry Warsh has been active in the art world for more than thirty years as a publisher and artist-collaborator. He is the editor of many books, including Abramović-isms, Judy Chicago-isms, Holzer-isms, Warhol-isms, and Weiwei-isms (all Princeton).