Neither a movement nor a style, Hairy Who was simply the name six Chicago artists chose when they decided to join forces and exhibit together in the mid-1960s. Their sense of humor embraced idiosyncrasy and spontaneity with wordplay and inside jokes that often belied the transgressiveness of their subject matter.

Ambiguous, provocative, but also strategic, their work transmitted progressive ideas that challenged prevailing notions of gender and sexuality, social mores and standards of beauty, and nostalgia and obsolescence. This comprehensive exhibition and accompanying publication featured approximately 225 works, including large-scale paintings, sculpture, and works on paper as well as archival ephemera that contextualized the artists’ creative processes and working methods.

Curated by Ann Goldstein and Mark Pascale
On view at The Art Institute September 26, 2018–January 6, 2019