Photo By Gail

In Valentine (1966), artist Evelyne Axell (1935 – 1972) combines an idealized feminine silhouette with a spacesuit helmet. This artwork was made during the 1960s Space Race, when the United States and the Soviet Union competed for dominance in space exploration. The title refers to a Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who was the first woman in space.

Axell presents her as both a feminist heroin, and a sexualized figure. Her paintings have been described as ‘sexual revolution in art,’ as they combat gender discrimination, linking women’s political and social freedom with female sexuality.

Photographed in the Tate Modern Museum in London