Written by Annabel Collinson
Every museum in DC is special. Whether they highlight incredible feats of man or conjure memories from your childhood, each museum has its own place in Washington and holds an important meaning for every person who steps into the exhibits. However, after spending a year in DC, I made it my mission to discover museums that were less well-known; most of these museums weren’t on the National Mall, so I did some exploring and found some amazing art in museums across the city. However, one particularly special museum, tucked away in the heart of DC, is the National Museum of Women in the Arts – and this museum, in my opinion, is the most important in the entire Capital.
NWMA is the only major museum in the world dedicated to recognizing women’s creative contributions. And when you first think it about it, it seems totally absurd that no museum has been created to swcase the work of incredible female artists. But, after some research, I could not find a single museum – in the entire world – dedicated to women’s art. That fact itself is insane. There have been so many female artists, from Renaissance to Dada, that have been both talented and also incredibly influential throughout time. If you aren’t familiar with female artists, here are a few of the coolest, most badass women in history:
Frida Kahlo, a surrealist painter from Mexico City, spent her life creating art that addressed social and political issues facing both herself and the people of Mexico. After surviving a terrible bus accident at 18, she suffered the rest of her life in constant pain, but channeled her pain into her art, and used her painting to express her depression. Her still-life, self-portrait, and Mexican folk art became internationally acclaimed, and she spent her life travelling around the world and displaying her own work in solo exhibitions. Though she was married to the acclaimed artist Diego Rivera, but her work shone on its own. In fact, their politically relevant and powerful work complemented one another, and neither one ever overshadowed the other. She revealed her personal struggles, as well as her political ideologies, through her work; Frida Kahlo’s feminist work has become inspirational, not just to other artists, but to feminists and women alike.
Mary Cassatt, an American woman in Paris, worked hard for her professional artistic training to evolve into an international career. Edgar Degas, after seeing Cassatt’s work, invited Cassatt to debut her work with other major Impressionist artists, all of whom were men. She produced more than 220 prints in the course of her career. She worked until her eyesight failed her, but she made an iconic name as a talented, strong woman in a boy’s club.
Meret Oppenheim, used a variety of mediums to express themes and ideas that she wanted to explore or that concerned her in her life. Painting, sculpture, drawings, and prints, among other things, were used to illustrate desire, sexuality, love, friendship, reality, and imagination. After going to arts school, and befriending Surrealist artists, Oppenheim created the piece Object, a teacup covered in fur, that sparked controversy and distanced her from more traditional artists of the time. Though she became somewhat of an outcast as a unique female artist, she never stopped following her own visions; she always advocated and believed in individuality and femininity. As she once said, “freedom is not given to you, you have to seize it.”
Yayoi Kusama, is possibly one of my favorite artists of all time, and for good reason. Not only is she individualistic in nature and a female visionary, her work is always totally inspired, and she never stops being original. After travelling the world as an artist, Kusama was sent to a psychiatric hospital in Japan in her old age, where she still paints and practices her art. Though she went to the hospital for “ill health,” in reality she wasn’t really ill, but had hallucinations about seeing dots everywhere. These dots have been adapted into her work, and inspired her to create pieces that help the world see what she sees. The dots speak to her, and she uses them in many mediums to help speak to her audience. Though she has done a lot of painting and sculpture throughout her artistic career, what I find the most fascinating are her installation pieces, which are eccentric and unique in every way possible. She invites the audience to be a part of her world, always utilizing dots to do so. Her work is not technically incredible like Van Gogh or Botticelli, but her work makes you feel something, and I think that is the best kind of art.
Hayv Kahraman, is an Iraqi artist who not only paints, but also sculpts and sketches. Like Frida Kahlo, Kahraman’s work also provokes her audience to think about important social issues, but Kahraman’s work is mainly focused on the issue of gender and female identity. However, she also uses her art to talk about the problems facing her home country, Iraq, as well as herself as a refugee. She challenges perceptions of refugees and immigrants in works that illustrate displacement and mistreatment; her works speaks not just about her own artistic talent, but about the issues that impact her life the most.
These artists, and so many others, are all featured in The National Museum of Women in the Arts, so go check them out! The National Museum of Women in the Arts brings attention to brilliant female artists by supporting their work and showcasing their art. And, if you want to support women’s work, it is not enough to like their work on Instagram or search their paintings online. Yes, you do have to pay to enter the museum, but the funds are used to support the exhibits and operations of the museum, so you’re supporting an organization that promotes powerful women. The architecture is stunning and the art is amazing. If you want to empower women to do great things, and see some amazing women at work, then you need to take an afternoon to roam the four floors of the powerful and thought provoking work that fill the halls of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.