In 1968 the artist Lynn Hershman Leeson (then known as Lynn Hershman) began publishing art criticism under the guise of three invented personas: Gay Abandon, Herbert Goode, and Prudence Juris. Each “critic” had his or her own style, aesthetic preferences, and venues, ranging from local San Francisco weeklies to prestigious art magazines like Studio International; all, however, appreciated the work of Lynn Hershman, who in turn used these favorable press mentions to appeal to Bay Area galleries.
At a talk last month between Hershman Leeson and Artforum editor-in-chief Michelle Kuo hosted by Light Industry to celebrate the forthcoming release of Civic Radar, the first comprehensive monograph about the artist’s work, she described her motivations simply, noting that she couldn’t get critics or dealers to pay attention to her work and decided to take matters into her own hands…