Sister Corita Kent - Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World - Ann Shen

Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World - Ann Shen (2016)

Sister Corita Kent

Sister Corita Kent (1918-1986) was an American pop artist and politically active nun who taught art classes throughout her life. In 1941, she entered the Roman Catholic order of Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Los Angeles. While studying there, she also took classes at Otis Art Institute and Chouinard before earning an M.A. in art history at USC. Taking inspiration from an Andy Warhol exhibit and a serigraph technique, Kent joined the pop art movement with her own signature silkscreen style. After the ultra-conservative Cardinal MacIntyre dismissed all the nuns of the order in a clash over their progressive views (as in, he didn’t have any), Kent moved to Boston and became a full-time artist.

Her work often expressed values of love and peace that were founded on her religious background, and they were very popular during the political unrest of the time. Many of her prints, which she always made affordable for ordinary people, were displayed at marches and demonstrations. In 1985, Kent designed a United States Postal Service “Love” stamp, which has sold over seven hundred million copies—making her possibly the bestselling artist of all time.

Just love