Through history, women have had significant voices in the visual arts despite the system preventing many from having the sacces due to societal barriers. From classical times to the present day, women artists have contributed their artistic vision and voice to the culture. In this article, we took a look at the most famous women painters of all time, top female modern artists and art works that became world museum masterpieces. We’ll also highlight black women artists who are making a difference in the contemporary art world and the women artists of classical art who set an example for others to follow.
Women have been hard-pressed in art world, but history has shown that their talent is irresistible. And a number of the most famous female painters have had an indelible presence on art history, from the Renaissance to the modern times
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1620–21 Picture: Smarthistory
2 . Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is perhaps the most famous of all women artists and one of the best-known surrealist self-portraitists. Through Mexican mythology, color and personal suffering, Kahlo’s art deals with identity, suffering and humankind. Artist’s works such as “The Two Fridas” and “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird” established her as an iconic visual artist.
The two Fridas, Frida Kahlo, 1939 Picture: Medium
3. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) is one of the most influential American modernists. The best-known for her monumental canvases of flowers and Southwest scenes, O’Keeffe frequently straddled the lines between abstraction and representational art. She’s known for her painting style — “Black Iris”, “Sky Above Clouds” — with its unusual compositions and rich colour palette.
Sky above Clouds, 1965 Picture: Arctic
3. Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) is the leading Light of the Impressionist movement, Mary Cassatt painted tender and private portraits of women and children. From “The Child’s Bath” to “Maternal Embrace’” her attention to everyday womanhood came at a time when male artists took it for granted. Her subjects often appear emotionally charged as artist presents them as both emotionally complex and dignified.
Modern and contemporary art was shaped by the innovative work of women artists, some of whom defied both art and gender norms. These artists’ legacy can be seen in museums and galleries worldwide today.
Pumpkin, 2016 Picture: Medium
2. Cindy Sherman (1954–) is a founder of conceptual and feminist art. Best known for her self-portraits, where she plays various characters and identities, Sherman is interested in the construction of the self and what women must do. Her “Untitled Film Stills” series is an analysis of the media/cultural female archetype.
Untitled Film Stills, 1977-1980 Picture: Artlead
“My Bed”, 1998 Picture: Artlyst
A SUBTLETY, 2014 Picture: InstituteOfPublicArt
Women have left behind some of the most significant and influential works of art in the world. Their work tends to be autobiographical, socially troubled and technique-breaking.
The Dinner Party, 1974–1979 Picture: Frieze
2.Frida Kahlo “Cropped Hair Self-Portrait”: In this powerful and heart-rending self-portrait, Kahlo dresses in short hair, as a declaration of independence following her divorce from Diego Rivera. It is a work of identity, sexuality and personal tragedy; one of Kahlo’s best-known and most private pieces.
Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair, 1940 Picture: ArtInHistoryProject
THE MIGRATION SERIES, PANEL NO. 1, 1940-1941 Picture: PhillipsCollection
Black women have had an essential presence in the art of our times and are often working through the bounded realities of race, gender and identity. Here are a few of the most influential Black female artists in the modern world.
Untitled (Path to the Manor), from The Louisiana Project, 2003 Picture: JournalPanorama
2. Jeanette Ehlers (1973–Present)is a Danish-born Caribbean artist working on issues of colonialism, race and the African diaspora. Ehlers’s photography, video and performance art subvert histories and give voice to underprivileged peoples.
Whip It Good, 2015 Picture: Bomb
Portrait of Mnonja, 2010 Picture: AmericanArt
Women artists, past and present, still make their mark on the visual arts. From the Renaissance to the present day, women have bucked tradition and made works of art that express the general human condition. And the legacy of female artists, past and present, is still influential in the visual arts. From the Renaissance through to the present, women artists pushed the limits and created works of genius that express the whole human experience. Through the dramatic imagery of classical painters, or in the daring statements of today’s female art professionals, they have written a permanent indelible imprint on art history. Their art continues to reach into the future, as proof that art does not discriminate between men and women.
