1943, Buenos Aires
Marta Minujín studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes Manuel Belgrano and at the Escuela Nacional Prilidiano Pueyrredón in Buenos Aires. In 1961 she received a scholarship to study in Paris, where she made her first performance: The Destruction, in 1963. When she returned to Buenos Aires in 1964, she received the Torcuato Di Tella Institute National Award for the work Revuélquese y viva, her first interactive installation. In 1965 she presented La menesunda, a multi- sensorial experience through the use of lights, colors, sounds, smells and textures, at the Di Tella Institute with artist Rubén Santantonín. In 1966 she received a Guggenheim Fellowship and moved to New York. There she began working on two major media projects: Simultaneity in Simultaneity (1966), with Allan Kaprow in New York and Wolf Vostell in Berlin; and Minuphone (1967). During the 1970s she lived and worked between the United States and Argentina, exhibiting her work in important institutions and creating performances and events such as Interpenning (1972) and Kidnappening, both at the Museum of Modern Art (1973), followed by La academia del fracaso, Centro de Arte y Comunicación, CAYC (1975) and Comunicando con tierra, Centro de Arte y Comunicación, CAYC (1976).
Among Minujín's most famous works are the large-scale "monuments" to public participation developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including El obelisco acostado, Sao Paulo (1978), Carlos Gardel de fuego, Medellín (1981), El Partenón de libros, Buenos Aires and Kassel ( 1983 and 2017, respectively), Big Ben lying down, Manchester (2021). In 2023 she had two retrospectives: one at the Jewish Museum in New York and another at the Pinacoteca de Sao Paulo.
Her works are part of international public collections, such as those of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Art Museum of the Americas, Washington DC; Olympic Park, Seoul; Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and MALBA, Buenos Aires; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
Minujín lives and works in Buenos Aires.
marta minujin and alberto greco. untitled, c. 1958. mixed technique on canvas, 47.2 x 47.2 in (120 x 120 cm). © marta minujín
minujín in her studio on rue delambre in paris, with her first multicolored mattresses, 1963. © marta minujin
la cabalgata (cavalcade), 1964, event on the TV show la campana de cristal, live on channel 7, buenos aires. © marta minujín
view of la menesunda. sixteen multisensorial and multimedia environments organized by minujín and rubén santantonín, di tella, buenos aires, may 1965. © marta minujín
simultaneidad en simultaneidad (simultaneity in simultaneity), 1966. happening at di tella, buenos aires, october 13 and 24, 1966 live broadcasts on television channels 11 and 13 transmissions from radio libertad. © marta minujín
minuphone, 1967. © marta minujín
selection from the archive of minucode, 1968. museum of modern art, new york. acquired in part through the generosity of the latin american and caribbean fund anonymous donor, the modern women's fund, glenn fuhrman, and grazyna kulczyk
importación-exportación (import-export), 1968. environment and happening at di tella, buenos aires, july 22—31, 1968 © marta minujín
how to be in a movie, minujin's event at soft gallery, 1973. © marta minujín
untitled, 1973. from the series frozen sex, 1974—75. acrylic on canvas. 50 3/4 x 50 3/4 in. (129 x 129 cm) © marta minujín
marta minujín posing at the entrace of the hornero (furnarius nest), made in conjunction with comunicando con tierra (communication with earth), 1976, presented at cayc, buenos aires © marta minujín
el obelisco acostado (the obelisk lying down), 1978. full escale construction of the buenos aires obelisk reclining and television sets with projections inside, presented at parque ibirapuera as part of the latin american biennial of sâo paulo, november 3 — december 18, 1978. © marta minujín
la estatua de la libertad recubierta de hamburguesas (statue of liberty covered with hamburgers), 1979. ink on paper vellum. 31 1/2 x 431/2 in (80 x 110.5 cm). solomon r. guggenheim museum, new york. © marta minujín
la torre de pan de james joyce (the james joyce tower in bread), 1980, presented at rosc'80: the poetry of vision, earlsfort terrace, university college, and the national gallery of ireland, dublin, july 6 — september 30, 1980. © marta minujín
mitos populares desmitificándose (popular myths demystified), 1986. ink, pencil, graphite, and felt pen on transparent paper 27 1/4 x 39 in (69.3 x 99.3 cm). daros latinamerica collection, zurich
estatua de la libertad cayendo (statue of liberty lying down) 1986. bronze, 10 1/4 x 9 5/8 x 2 1/4 in. (26 x 24.4 x 5.7 cm). amaca panama collection, panama
operación perfume (operation perfume), 9 de julio avenue in buenos aires, november 28, 1987. © marta minujín
soliloquio de emociones encontradas (soliloquy of mixed emotions), 2011. acrylic and tempera on hand-cut mattress fabric strips glued with vinyl adhesive on canvas, 94 1/2 x 189 in (240 × 480 cm). © marta minujín
el partenón de los libros (the parthenon of books), 2017, in friedrichsplatz, kassel, as part of documenta 14, june 10 - september 17, 2017. © marta minujín
el partenón de los libros (the parthenon of books), 2017, in friedrichsplatz, kassel, as part of documenta 14, june 10 - september 17, 2017. © marta minujín
el partenón de los libros (the parthenon of books), 2017, in friedrichsplatz, kassel, as part of documenta 14, june 10 - september 17, 2017. © marta minujín. photo: roman maerz
vacunación global (global baccination), 2021. acryilic and tempera on hand-cut mattress fabric strips glued with vinyl adhesive on canvas. 106 1/4 x 70 7/8 in. (270 x 180 cm) © marta minujín
ensoñación, 2023. mixed media: mattress fabric, foam rubber and fluorescent paint, 45 x 35 x 20 cm.
Among her solo exhibitions are: Marta Minujín: Ao Vivo, Pina Luz Building, Pinacoteca de São Paulo (2023); Marta Minujín: Arte! Arte! Arte!, The Jewish Museum, New York (2023); La Menesunda según Marta Minujín, Museo Moderno, Buenos Aires (2015); Marta Minujín: Minucodes, Americas Society, (formerly Art Gallery of the Center of Inter-American Relations), New York (2010); Marta Minujín. Works 1959-1989, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba Foundation) (2010); Marta Minujín. Sculptures, Enlaces Gallery, Lima, Peru (2008); Marta Minujín. Los meses del año, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (2006); Marta Minujín. Esculturas, Rubbers Gallery, Buenos Aires (2005); Marta Minujín. Ventanas, Borges Cultural Center, Buenos Aires (2005); Painting armchairs with Marta Minujín, Buenos Aires Design's Terraces (2004); Philosophy of diagonality, Roldán Art Auction Showroom, Buenos Aires (2003); among many others.
Some of her group exhibitions are: Territorios: Latin American contemporary art at the Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC), Seville, Spain (2024); Performance Biennial, Puente de la Mujer, Buenos Aires (2024); Lo que la noche le cuenta al día, organized by Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (PAC), Milan, Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires (2024); Macho: Representing Masculinity, Another Space, Chelsea, New York (2022); The Armory Show 2010, Pier 92 and 94, New York (2010); Artecho by Un Techo Para Mi País, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires (2010); Infantilismo, Angel Guido Art Project, Buenos Aires (2009); PINTA,The Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art Fair, Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building, New York (2009); WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles; traveled to PS1 MoMA, New York and Gallerie d'art de Vancouver, Canada (2008) (2007); Proyecto Sombrillas, Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Juan B. Castagnino, Rosario, Argentina (2007); I Encuentro entre dos Mares, São Paulo-Valencia Biennial, Spain (2007); La Presencia-The Presence of Latin American Art in California Collections, Molaa Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA, USA (2007); Un dedo en el río, Centro Cultural de España en Buenos Aires (2006); Beyond Geography: 40 Years of Visual Arts at the Americas Society, Americas Society, New York (2005); ArteBA 04, 13th Art Gallery Fair, Buenos Aires (2004); Arte al Plato, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires (2003); LIII Premio Michetti, organized by Francesco Paolo Michetti Foundation, Abruzzo, Italy (2002); among many others.
