All you have to do is read a museum or art gallery label to realize that women artists are rare. Yet many of them have revolutionized their discipline and continue to do so. Katty Hessel has devoted a book to them, and it's brilliant.
Artist, painter... What names come to mind when you read these keywords? Certainly not feminine ones! Word association is an exercise that brings to light stereotypes, obvious facts from our collective unconscious. Let's continue with these words: Renaissance, painting... No doubt the image of a Raphaelite nude woman, passive, frozen and idealized, will naturally come to mind. This representation, which dates back to the dawn of art history, reflects not only the aesthetic norms of the time, but also a patriarchal vision of women, confined to the role of the female figure.
This content is reserved for our subscribers.
French 
German 
English