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Artist Captured 'Manspreading' Decades Ago
28 Oct
Summary
- Marianne Wex documented male body language decades before 'manspreading'.
- Her project amassed thousands of images over five years.
- MoMA acquired her sole major artwork in its entirety in 2018.
Nearly forty years before the term 'manspreading' entered public discourse, German artist Marianne Wex was meticulously documenting expansive male body language. In the 1970s, Wex observed and photographed how men occupied space differently than women on the streets of Hamburg.
Over a five-year period, Wex compiled thousands of images sourced from street photography, magazines, advertisements, and art history books. She organized these photographs onto over 200 wooden panels, categorizing them by posture, such as 'sitting legs' and 'standing arms.'
This comprehensive collection, titled "Let's Take Back Our Space: 'Female' and 'Male' Body Language as a Result of Patriarchal Structures," was first exhibited in Berlin in 1977. For many years, Wex's work remained largely unknown until a recent surge in recognition.
In 2018, Marianne Wex secured gallery representation, and shortly thereafter, the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired her complete project. Wex passed away at the age of 83, two years after her significant artwork found a permanent home in a major museum.
