Lil Picard

Lil Picard, born Lilli Elisabeth Benedick (October 4, 1899 – May 10, 1994), was a cabaret actress, artist, journalist and critic, born in Landau, Germany, who took part in several generations of counterculture and avant-garde art in Berlin and in New York City.

Biography

Early life Lil Picard was born Lilli Elisabeth Benedick October 4, 1899 in Landau, Germany. Seeking solace from her parents, Lil found meaning in books. Westermanns Monatshefte introduced her to art and inspired her to draw at an early age.

Marriages and Life in Berlin Upon completing school, Lil studied literature and art in Berlin. and intellectual with whom she lived in Berlin against her parents' wishes. Surrounded by dynamic artists, writers, composers, and filmmakers who moved to Berlin after World War I, the couple married in 1921. Lil Picard became a cabaret performer, acting in a small part in the film Variété. She also worked as Art-correspondent for Kunstforum International and Die Welt. In 1976 she appeared in Rosa von Praunheim's New York film Underground and Emigrants.

In New York, Lil Picard dated Alfred Jensen and Ad Reinhardt.

Exhibitions Solo Show. David Anderson Gallery. 1960. (first solo show) Protest-Action. With Wolf Vostell at the Italian Pavilion at the 34th Venice Biennale, 1968. Goethe House. 1976. Ronald Feldman Gallery. 1976. Holly Solomon Gallery. 1976. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin. 1978. "Lil Picard and Counterculture New York." Grey Art Gallery, NYU. 2010 (premiere). University of Iowa Museum of Art. Spring, 2011.