Special Sub-Topic: Ana Mendieta Click Here To Play: Ana Mendieta

In what country was Ana born?

Cuba. Ana was born in Cuba but she and her sister were sent to the United States when she was 13 years old, due to their family's tenuous stance on Cuban government. Being taken from her homeland or "motherland" was a key element in the art she would later create.

Where did Ana attend college?

University of Iowa. It was when she attended the University of Iowa that Ana first began creating performance and visual artworks, particularly relating to gender roles, sexuality, identity, and violence.

Ana became very invested in bodywork art, whereby she used her body to create impressions and images in the earth itself. What did she call this series of artworks?

Silueta Series. Mendieta's 'Siluetas' were executed and photographed in all forms of natural settings, and Ana generally added natural objects and decorations to the works after she created her impression (i.e. paint, rocks, leaves, etc.) She is most famous as an artist for her 'Silueta' series.

Up until her death, Ana was married to what famous minimalist sculptor?

Carl Andre. Mendieta met Andre through mutual art world friends and they dated for over five years before getting married in 1985, the same year she died.

Ana Mendieta tragically died on September 8th, 1985, only eight months after marrying her husband. What was Ana's cause of death?

Fall from a building. Ana Mendieta and Carl Andre had an extremely tense and volatile relationship, and they were known for explosive fights. After a fight and a brief separation, Mendieta returned to their Greenwich Village apartment where she was met by Carl. Shortly thereafter, Mendieta fell from their 34th floor window to her death.

Ana's husband was found guilty for her murder.

F. There still remains debate over whether Ana committed suicide or was murdered. Carl Andre was put on trial for the second degree murder of Ana Mendieta in 1988. Andre chose to be tried before a judge only, with no jury being present, and he was eventually acquitted of all charges, as his lawyer managed to convince the judge of the possibility that her death was a suicide. Ana was scheduled to have the first major retrospective of her work in New York only a few weeks after her death, so many members of the art and feminist communities still believe that her death was as a result of foul play and not suicide, as this was a pivotal moment in her life and career that she had been working towards for decades.

Ana received posthumous fame rather than fame in her lifetime.

t. As stated in the previous question, Ana was slated to have a major public retrospective of her work shortly after the time she died and the salacious tabloid nature of her death lent itself well to people becoming familiar with her work. What is most disappointing about the fallout from her death were the headlines in the New York papers which read "Wife of famed sculptor found dead in Greenwich Village;" instead of being acknowledged as the talented artist she was, she was referenced only as the wife of the famous Carl Andre.

Which of the following themes is NOT one that could be applied to Ana's work?

All of these can be applied to Ana's work (Spirituality, Feminism, Connection to nature). Ana's work explored a wide variety of themes, with her performance art corresponding predominantly to feminism and violence against the female body, while her 'Siluetas' and other earth-body artworks responded more specifically to her spirituality and connection to the natural world.

During her lifetime, Ana was able to return to to her homeland to show her artwork.

t. Ana Mendieta was the first Cuban expatriate from the United States to be allowed to show her work in Cuban exhibitions. Mendieta traveled to multiple countries, but her most memorable and vital visits were to Cuba. She first returned at age 30, eighteen years after she was exiled to the United States.

Although she was known for one primary medium of art, Ana created artworks in a variety of different media. Which of the following is NOT a form of art she created?

Minimalist sculpture. Ana created a wide variety of artworks, with her most famous being her performance art and the 'Silueta' natural impressions.