Christina Ramberg – Exploring the Intersection of Gender, Beauty, and Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art Unveils Christina Ramberg Retrospective Highlighting Her Provocative Exploration of Gender and Beauty

Christina Ramberg’s retrospective at PMA showcases her exploration of gender and beauty through stylized paintings, revealing her evolution from figuration to abstraction and her impact as an educator.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is set to host a groundbreaking exhibition, “Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective,” from February 8 to June 1, 2025. This exhibition marks the most comprehensive survey of Christina Ramberg’s work to date, showcasing nearly 100 pieces that span her illustrious career. Known for her association with the Chicago Imagists, Ramberg’s art delves into the complexities of gender and beauty, often through the lens of fragmented and fetishized female forms.

Ramberg’s work is characterized by its exploration of the female body and its societal constructs. Her paintings often depict stylized body parts—hands, hair, torsos, stockings, and shoes—drawing inspiration from pop culture, comic books, and storefront displays. This retrospective offers a rare opportunity to witness the evolution of her artistic vision, from her early focus on the patterns and forms of women’s hairstyles and garments to her later, more abstract works.

Christina Ramberg masterfully challenges societal norms with her innovative, thought-provoking art, leaving a lasting impact on contemporary visual culture.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is “Probed Cinch” (1971), a painting that exemplifies Ramberg’s unique style. This piece, along with others like “Cabbage Head” (1968), encapsulates her ability to blend simplicity with wit, creating images that are both striking and thought-provoking. Her work often straddles the line between figuration and abstraction, challenging normative ideas of sexuality and gender.

In addition to her paintings, the exhibition will feature Ramberg’s experiments with quilting, printmaking, and drawing. Her sketchbooks and notebooks provide insight into her creative process, revealing how she integrated a wide range of source material into her polished yet enigmatic aesthetic. The retrospective also highlights Ramberg’s role as an educator, showcasing over 250 archival slides used during her tenure as the first woman to chair the Department of Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog featuring essays and archival material from notable contributors, including Anna Katz, Judith Russi Kirshner, and Riva Lehrer. Organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, the exhibition is curated by Thea Liberty Nichols and Mark Pascale, with the PMA presentation led by Eleanor Nairne and Camila Rondon.

“Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective” is supported by the Daniel W. Dietrich II Fund for Excellence in Contemporary Art, among others. This exhibition not only celebrates Ramberg’s artistic achievements but also underscores her lasting influence on contemporary art and education. Visitors to the PMA will have the opportunity to engage with Ramberg’s work and explore the narratives she crafted through her distinctive visual language.

EDITOR’S HIGHLIGHTS