The Guerrilla Girls, the anonymous feminist art collective founded in 1985, are celebrating their 40th anniversary with a series of exhibitions and events. In New York, two gallery shows have been held at Hannah Traore Gallery and Mary Ryan Gallery. Later this month, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., will stage a major solo exhibition of its Guerrilla Girls holdings, titled "Discrimi-NATION: Guerrilla Girls on Bias, Money, and Art." The collective is also receiving an award at NMWA's upcoming gala and has launched a campaign to encourage donors to help the museum acquire the complete "Portfolio Compleat" of all their works.
This anniversary matters because the Guerrilla Girls have been a powerful force for art world activism for four decades, using bold posters and sharp humor to expose systemic inequities in race, gender, and class. Their work continues to resonate with new generations, and the NMWA exhibition—featuring pieces from 1985 to the present—underscores the ongoing relevance of their mission. The campaign to complete the museum's holdings highlights the importance of preserving this activist legacy for future study and inspiration.