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18 Facts About Rachel Rosenthal

1.

Rachel Rosenthal was a French-born interdisciplinary and performance artist, teacher, actress, and animal rights activist based in Los Angeles.

2.

Rachel Rosenthal was best known for her full-length performance art pieces which offered unique combinations of theatre, dance, creative slides and live music.

3.

Rachel Rosenthal toured her pieces, with The Rachel Rosenthal Company, to numerous venues both within the United States and abroad.

4.

Rachel Rosenthal's father, Leonard Rosenthal, was a well-known merchant of Oriental pearls and precious stones.

5.

Rachel Rosenthal described her childhood home as one filled with the works of Monet and Chagall; purchases brought home from her father's travels to Italy.

6.

Rachel Rosenthal was only six when she started learning ballet under the guidance of the acclaimed Preobrajenska.

7.

Rachel Rosenthal studied acting at the Jean-Louis Barrault School of Theatre and with Herbert Berghoff.

8.

Rachel Rosenthal was introduced to Zen Buddhism and Asian philosophy by Cage.

9.

Rachel Rosenthal soon grew an interest in martial arts and started training in them.

10.

Rachel Rosenthal did return to visual arts and sculpture as well; creating truly unique performance art that allowed the freedom to improvise.

11.

Rachel Rosenthal is considered one of the "first-generation feminist artists," a group that includes Mary Beth Edelson, Carolee Schneeman, and Judy Chicago.

12.

Rachel Rosenthal's Brain dealt with brain research findings, intellectual history and hubris.

13.

Rachel Rosenthal was married to actor King Moody, three years her junior, for 20 years.

14.

Rachel Rosenthal was an advisory board member of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

15.

In 2000, aged 73, Rachel Rosenthal announced that she was retiring from performance to dedicate herself to her animal rights activism and pursue a career as a painter.

16.

Rachel Rosenthal was a visiting artist at The Art Institute of Chicago, New York University, University of California Los Angeles, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, California Institute of the Arts, and at the Naropa, Esalen and Omega Institutes.

17.

Rachel Rosenthal had a small part in the Michael Tolkin film, The New Age, which starred Judy Davis.

18.

Rachel Rosenthal died on May 10,2015, in Los Angeles from congestive heart failure.