Women collaborators rarely received recognition for their input into artistic projects or artwork until recently.
Edward Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz
In 1972, Edward Kienholz, an already established artist for his own work, met Nancy Reddin in Los Angeles. He received a grant that permitted him to work in Berlin with his wife. In 1977, he opened "The Faith and Charity" at the Hope Gallery with Nancy. Their work was widely acclaimed, particularly in Europe. In 1979, due to the greater participation that Nancy had in their work, Edward Kienholz formally declared her his collaborator. This move helped build acceptance for other collaborations.
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
Claes Oldenburg’s giant sculptures of mundane objects elicited public ridicule before being embraced as whimsical, insightful, and fun additions to public outdoor art. In the 1960’s, he became associated with the Pop Art movement and attended many so-called ‘happenings’, which were performance art related productions of that time. The name he gave to his own productions was "Ray Gun Theatre". His first wife (1960–1970) Pat Muschinski, sewed many of his early soft sculptures, and was a constant performer in his happenings. Claes met Dutch/American pop sculptor, Coosje van Bruggen, in 1976, and has been collaborating artistically since.