Valie Export was born Waltraud Lehner in 1940 in Linz, Austria, then part of Nazi Germany.
She made a name for herself in the art world in the 1960s and 1970s with her provocative street performance works in post-war Austria - she received marriage proposals in the mail, among other things. But she later said she wasn't looking to shock, but to protest.
Valie Export worked in everything from video and photography to film and sculpture. Alongside art, she taught film and video at universities in Austria, Germany and the USA.
Together with Maria Lassnig, she was one of the first women to represent Austria at the Venice Biennale in 1980.
Valie Export turned 85.
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