Andrea Fraser facts for kids

Andrea Rose Fraser (born in 1965) is a famous performance artist. She is known for her special way of looking at art, called "institutional critique." This means she uses her art to question how art museums and galleries work. Fraser lives in New York and Los Angeles. She is also a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Arts and Architecture.

Andrea Fraser's Early Life and Start in Art

Andrea Fraser was born in Billings, Montana. She grew up in Berkeley, California. She studied art at places like New York University and the School of Visual Arts. Before becoming a well-known artist, she worked at an art gallery. She also wrote about art, which helped her develop her unique artistic style.

Andrea Fraser's Artworks and Performances

Andrea Fraser's art often involves her performing roles or creating situations that make people think about art and its surroundings. Her work is called "performance art" because she uses her body and actions to create the art piece.

Museum Highlights (1989)

In this artwork, Fraser pretended to be a museum tour guide. She called herself Jane Castleton. She led a tour at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. During the tour, she described the art in a very dramatic way. For example, she called a water fountain "a work of astonishing economy and monumentality!" Her words came from different books and articles. This performance made people think about how museums present art.

Official Welcome (2001)

For this piece, Fraser acted like someone giving or receiving an art award. She copied the usual polite and praising words spoken at these events. Then, she changed her character to an artist who felt troubled. She talked about how artists can feel like objects in the art world. She said, "I'm not a person today. I'm an object in an art work." This performance made people think about how artists are seen and treated.

Little Frank and His Carp (2001)

This video performance was filmed secretly at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Fraser used the museum's audio guide as inspiration. She moved around the museum, reacting to the recorded voice describing the building's curves. She seemed to enjoy the architecture in a very strong way. This artwork questioned how modern museum buildings can sometimes be more famous than the art inside them.

Projection (2008)

In this video artwork, Fraser created a scene like a psychoanalysis session. Psychoanalysis is a type of talk therapy. Fraser played both the therapist and the patient. She looked directly into the camera, making the viewer feel like they were part of the session. This piece explored how we project our thoughts and feelings onto others.

Not Just a Few of Us (2014)

This performance piece looked at the history of desegregation in New Orleans. Desegregation was the process of ending racial separation. Fraser used her art to explore these important historical struggles.

Teaching Art

Andrea Fraser has also taught art at many universities. She has shared her knowledge at places like the University of California, Los Angeles. She has also taught at the Whitney Independent Study Program and Columbia University School of the Arts.

Art Exhibitions

Andrea Fraser's art has been shown in many famous galleries around the world. Her work has been seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Venice Biennale. It has also been displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2013, a special show of her work was held at the Museum Ludwig in Germany.

Art Collections

You can find Andrea Fraser's artworks in major public art collections. Some of these include the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her work is also held at the Tate Modern in London.

Awards and Recognition

Andrea Fraser has received many awards for her art. She has been given fellowships from organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2017, she received a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. In 2019, a major article about her work was published in The New York Times.

See also

In Spanish: Andrea Fraser para niños