Women and Art

For half a century, feminism and New Criticism have sought to reframe the art of women. Portrayed as neglected or suppressed, women’s art has recently been subject of widespread research. But has the feminist narrative simply replaced the commonplace belief that women artists were amateurs and unimportant followers with a new myth, equally inaccurate? Have feminist academics, the women-artists lobby and canny art dealers exaggerated the importance and ability of key women artists? Are women artists actually marginalised today?In Women and Art: A Post-Feminist View, Alexander Adams examines how women artists lived and worked historically. He discovers a rich story of success that feminists have tended to underplay. Examining accounts of women artists, recent literature and new statistical data, Adams suggests the true story of women as artists and muses is more complex and surprising than previously presented. Women and Art will startle and inform anyone interested in the role of women in Western art.