Ana Mendieta Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cuba

Ana was born in Cuba but she and her sister were sent to the United States when she was 13 years old, due to their family's tenuous stance on Cuban government. Being taken from her homeland or "motherland" was a key element in the art she would later create.

Answer: University of Iowa

It was when she attended the University of Iowa that Ana first began creating performance and visual artworks, particularly relating to gender roles, sexuality, identity, and violence.

Answer: Silueta Series

Mendieta's 'Siluetas' were executed and photographed in all forms of natural settings, and Ana generally added natural objects and decorations to the works after she created her impression (i.e. paint, rocks, leaves, etc.) She is most famous as an artist for her 'Silueta' series.

Answer: Carl Andre

Mendieta met Andre through mutual art world friends and they dated for over five years before getting married in 1985, the same year she died.

Answer: Fall from a building

Ana Mendieta and Carl Andre had an extremely tense and volatile relationship, and they were known for explosive fights. After a fight and a brief separation, Mendieta returned to their Greenwich Village apartment where she was met by Carl. Shortly thereafter, Mendieta fell from their 34th floor window to her death.

Answer: False

There still remains debate over whether Ana committed suicide or was murdered. Carl Andre was put on trial for the second degree murder of Ana Mendieta in 1988. Andre chose to be tried before a judge only, with no jury being present, and he was eventually acquitted of all charges, as his lawyer managed to convince the judge of the possibility that her death was a suicide. Ana was scheduled to have the first major retrospective of her work in New York only a few weeks after her death, so many members of the art and feminist communities still believe that her death was as a result of foul play and not suicide, as this was a pivotal moment in her life and career that she had been working towards for decades.

Answer: True

As stated in the previous question, Ana was slated to have a major public retrospective of her work shortly after the time she died and the salacious tabloid nature of her death lent itself well to people becoming familiar with her work. What is most disappointing about the fallout from her death were the headlines in the New York papers which read "Wife of famed sculptor found dead in Greenwich Village;" instead of being acknowledged as the talented artist she was, she was referenced only as the wife of the famous Carl Andre.

Answer: All of these can be applied to Ana's work

Ana's work explored a wide variety of themes, with her performance art corresponding predominantly to feminism and violence against the female body, while her 'Siluetas' and other earth-body artworks responded more specifically to her spirituality and connection to the natural world.

Answer: True

Ana Mendieta was the first Cuban expatriate from the United States to be allowed to show her work in Cuban exhibitions. Mendieta traveled to multiple countries, but her most memorable and vital visits were to Cuba. She first returned at age 30, eighteen years after she was exiled to the United States.

Answer: Minimalist sculpture

Ana created a wide variety of artworks, with her most famous being her performance art and the 'Silueta' natural impressions.