Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for provocative performances, films, and photographs that challenged the representation of women, has died at age 85. Born Waltraud Lehner, she renamed herself Valie Export in 1967 and became a central figure in the global feminist art movement, creating works such as "Touch and Grope Cinema" (1968) and "Action Pants: Genital Panic" (1969) that used her body to disrupt male gaze and social conventions. Her practice spanned expanded cinema, sculpture, and photography, and she was associated with Viennese Actionism while critiquing its sexism.
Export's death marks the loss of a foundational voice in feminist and performance art whose radical interventions continue to influence contemporary artists. Her insistence on art as a tool for social struggle and her unflinching examination of the female body in visual culture remain deeply relevant in ongoing debates about gender, representation, and institutional power. The Guardian obituary underscores her legacy as an artist who transformed personal defiance into enduring political and aesthetic statements.