Throughout art history, women have tended to be left out as influential figures. Even today, the 18 major museums in the US have 87% male artists; out of contemporary artists, women only make up 13.7% of artists living today. So here is a list of ten influential female artists throughout history and the world.
- Artemisia Gentileschi
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Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian painter during the Baroque period. Throughout her lifetime, she often faced criticism from her male peers and doubts that she painted her works. Her work usually featured women from the Bible, myths, and tales, and their stories. She was introduced to painting at the age of fifteen and became one of the most accomplished artists of her time.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/artemisia-gentileschi
- Alice Neel
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Alice Neel was an American portrait painter from 1900-1984. She worked during the Depression, and through a time where abstract paintings dominated the art scene. She was known for making portraits of friends, family, neighbors, and other local artists in her area. Her paintings are known for being highly psychological and depicting the subject in an emotional way. She has been called one of the most important portrait painters of the 20th century.
http://www.aliceneel.com/home/
- Berthe Morisot
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Berthe Morisot was a painter in France from 1841-1895. She was one of the first Impressionists and has been called one of the best of the time. Her artwork was shown at the prestigious Salon de Paris seven times, and she went on to join the Impressionist’s salon later on. Her painting depicted the lives of women during the time.
https://www.biography.com/artist/berthe-morisot
- Augusta Savage
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Augusta Savage was an American sculpture from 1892-1962. She was part of the art movement of the Harlem Renaissance. During her early life, her father strongly disapproved of her interest in art, but the principal at her school encouraged her to teach a sculpture class. This led to her having a lifelong interest in both art and teaching. Once she became a full-time artist, her studio also served as a teaching place for future artists. She was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2008 for her contributions to the arts and arts education.
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/augusta-savage-4269
- Betye Saar
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Betye Saar is an American artist born in 1926. She works with assemblage and printmaking. She was part of the Black Arts Movement in the 1970s, her works have strong political messages and themes. During graduate school, she planned on teaching design but took an elective on printmaking. The class sparked her passion for art. In the world of contemporary art, she has been called a legend.
https://www.moma.org/artists/5102
- Yayoi Kusama
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Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist born in 1929. She works mainly with installation and sculpture, but she also works with painting, poetry, performance art, film, fashion, and more. She originally studied a traditional Japanese way of painting, and later became inspired by American Abstract paintings. She moved to New York City during the time of hippie culture, and she became known for her performance art pieces. She has said her artwork is a way to express her mental health. She is considered to be one of the most important artists in contemporary art.
https://whitney.org/exhibitions/yayoikusama
- Mickalene Thomas
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Mickalene Thomas is an American artist born in 1971. She is a painter, but she also works with photography, printmaking, collage, video art, installation, and sculpture. Her works draw from many different art movements like the Harlem Renaissance and Cubism. Her work is centered around the concepts of gender, sexuality, beauty, race, and femininity. Her artwork has won her many honors and recognitions.
https://www.mickalenethomas.com/
- Mary Cassatt
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Mary Cassatt was an American painter from 1844-1926. She was originally from America, but she spent most of her life in France. She was part of the Impressionist art movement and is considered to be one of the best of them. As a student, she had a hard time making the male teachers take her seriously. After a while, she left her art school and began to teach herself to paint by observing paintings in museums. Her painting subjects were of women and children, she focused partially on the bond between mother and child. Unlike male impressionists painters, Morisot was able to paint the private lives of women and children, giving her a unique perspective compared to her male peers.
- Kara Walker
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Kara Walker is an American artist born in 1969. She is a painter but works with many different mediums such as multimedia, printmaking, film, collage, and text art. Her work examines gender, sexuality, race, violence, and identity. Her work sometimes can cause controversy, both from the audience and other artists. Walker also has taught at Columbia University.
https://walkerart.org/collections/artists/kara-walker
- Selma Burke
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Selam Burke was an American artist from 1900-1995. She worked as a sculpture as part of the Harlem Renaissance. Her grandmother was an artist who encouraged Burke to continue her interest in art, against her mother’s wishes. Her relief of Franklin Roosevelt was eventually used for the coin’s relief. She made many pieces of public art of important African-American figures. She founded the Selma Burke School of Sculpture in 1940 and in 1946 she founded the Selma Burke Art School. She was known as an artist and arts educator.
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/selma-burke-27983
Statistics on Female Representation in Museums: