Barbara Kruger (b. 1945, Newark, NJ) is one of the most influential artists working today. She is known for her bold text-and-image works that critique power, consumerism, media representations of women, and gender dynamics. By installing her work in public spaces, Kruger explored the power of text as art. Often combining black-and-white photographs appropriated from mass media and bold white letters on red backgrounds, Kruger’s work—whether vinyl installations, billboards and bus wraps, or t-shirts—is instantly recognizable. Her politically engaged work has also shaped broader visual language.
Kruger has presented solo exhibitions at Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain (2025); Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (2022); Art Institute of Chicago (2021, travelled to LACMA, Los Angeles, 2022); National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (2016); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2008); Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1999; travelled to the Whitney Museum of American Art, 2000); Serpentine Gallery, London (1994); and Institute of Contemporary Art, London (1983). Notable group exhibitions and biennials include The Pictures Generation: 1974–1984, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (2009); the 40th, 51st, and 59th Venice Biennales, Italy (1982, 2005, 2022); Whitney Biennials 1987, 1985, and 1982, New York City; and Documenta 7 and 8, Kassel, Germany (1982, 1987). In addition to her four projects with Public Art Fund, Kruger’s work has appeared in museums, municipal buildings, train stations, and parks, as well as on buses and billboards. Her work is in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; LACMA, Los Angeles; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; The Museum of Modern Art, New York City; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York City; Tate, London; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City. Kruger lives and works in New York City and Los Angeles.