Simone Forti (b.1935, Florence) is a pioneering figure in contemporary performance art. A choreographer, dancer, writer, and artist, she has dedicated her career to exploring kinesthetic awareness, improvisation, and the relationship between body and object. Forti emigrated to Los Angeles in 1938 and studied under Anna Halprin. She later joined New York’s experimental art scene, where she became a key figure in the emergence of performance art, Minimal Art, and process-based work. Forti is considered a precursor to the Judson Dance Theater and has collaborated with artists like Dan Graham and Robert Whitman, as well as composers like Charlemagne Palestine and La Monte Young. Her work continues to influence younger generations of artists. Forti’s selected exhibitions and performances include the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Centre Pompidou, the Hammer Museum, Kunsthaus Basel, Museo Reina Sofía, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her groundbreaking work is integral to the development of dance and performance art today.