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Feminist Icon Valie Export Dies at 85, Legacy Honored

5/16/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Valie Export died in Vienna on May 14, 2026, at age 85.
Her foundation announced her death and praised her pioneering feminist performances exposing women’s objectification.
In 1968 she staged “Tap and Touch Cinema,” letting shoppers feel her bare breasts through a curtain, shocking the public.
In 2015 Linz opened a Valie Export centre for media and performance art in a former tobacco factory, marking institutional recognition.

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Story summary

Valie Export died in Vienna on May 14, 2026, at age 85.
Her foundation announced her death and praised her pioneering feminist performances exposing women’s objectification.
In 1968 she staged “Tap and Touch Cinema,” letting shoppers feel her bare breasts through a curtain, shocking the public.
In 2015 Linz opened a Valie Export centre for media and performance art in a former tobacco factory, marking institutional recognition.