Andrea Fraser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrea Fraser
Fraser in 2016
Born	1965 (age 59–60) Billings, Montana, United States
Education	School of Visual Arts, New York, Whitney Independent Study Program
Known for	Performance art
Notable work	Museum Highlights (1989), Official Welcome (2001), Little Frank and His Carp (2001), Untitled (2003), Projection (2008), Not Just a Few of Us (2014), Down the River (2016), 2016 in Museums, Money, and Politics
Movement	Feminist
Awards	National Endowment for the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship (1991), Anonymous Was A Woman Fellowship (2012), Wolfgang Hahn Prize (2013), Oskar Kokoschka Prize (2016)

Andrea Rose Fraser (born 1965) is a famous performance artist. She is best known for her work that looks closely at how art institutions work. Fraser lives in New York and Los Angeles. She is also a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the School of Arts and Architecture.

Andrea Fraser's Early Life and Education

Andrea Fraser was born in Billings, Montana, in 1965. She grew up in Berkeley, California. She studied at New York University and the School of Visual Arts. She also attended the Whitney Museum's independent study program. Before becoming an artist, Fraser worked as a gallery attendant. She also wrote about art, which helped shape her artistic ideas.

Exploring Andrea Fraser's Artworks

Andrea Fraser creates art that makes people think about museums and the art world. Her performances often involve her taking on different roles. She uses these roles to question how art is shown and valued.

Services Exhibition

Fraser helped organize an exhibition called Services. This show was a "working-group exhibition." It traveled to eight different places in Europe and the United States. The exhibition ran from 1994 to 2001.

Museum Highlights Performance

In 1989, Fraser created Museum Highlights. For this piece, she pretended to be a museum tour guide. She used the name Jane Castleton at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. During the tour, she described the museum in a very dramatic way. For example, she called a water fountain "a work of astonishing economy." Her words were taken from different writings, including philosophy and newspaper articles.

Kunst muss hängen Reenactment

In 2001, Fraser performed Kunst muss hängen (meaning "Art Must Hang"). She recreated a speech given by another artist, Martin Kippenberger. Fraser copied his words and actions exactly. This performance took place at Galerie Christian Nagel in Cologne.

Official Welcome Performance

Official Welcome (2001) was a performance for a private event. Fraser acted like people who give speeches at art award ceremonies. She copied their common phrases and praises. This performance made people think about how art is celebrated and judged.

Little Frank and His Carp Video

Her video performance Little Frank and His Carp (2001) was filmed at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. She used hidden cameras to capture her reactions. In the video, she responds to the museum's architecture. She moves as an audio guide describes the building's curves and surfaces. This work explores how people feel about modern museum spaces.

Projection Video Installation

Fraser's video installation Projection (2008) is like a therapy session. The viewer feels like they are the therapist, the patient, or just watching. The work uses real therapy conversations. Fraser plays both the therapist and the patient. She looks at the camera, making the viewer feel involved.

Not Just a Few of Us Performance

In 2014, Fraser performed Not Just a Few of Us. This piece explored the history of desegregation in New Orleans. It looked at how different groups of people came together.

Andrea Fraser's Teaching Career

Fraser has shared her knowledge by teaching at several universities. She has taught at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also taught at the Maine College of Art & Design and Columbia University School of the Arts. Her teaching helps new artists learn about performance art.

Exhibitions and Collections

Andrea Fraser's art has been shown in many important galleries. 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. In 2013, a special show of her work was held at the Museum Ludwig.

Her art is part of major public collections. These include the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art. Her work can also be found at the Tate Modern in London.

Awards and Recognition

Andrea Fraser has received many awards for her art. She has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. She also received a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts in 2017. In 2019, a big article about her work appeared in The New York Times.

See also

In Spanish: Andrea Fraser para niños