The Gender Gap In Art: Resources
Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? (1989) Guerrilla Girls. Illustration: © Guerrilla Girls, courtesy guerrillagirls.com
In 1971, art historian Linda Nochlin posed a question which changed the course of art as we know it: Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?
Similar questions have been asked since: Why are there no famous female artists? Or even which gender is better at art?
The lack of representation of Women Artists in Galleries and Museums is an issue. According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 51% of visual artists today are women, but in London, 78% of galleries represent more men than women, whilst 5% represent an equal number of male and female artists. Even in UK universities, 64% of undergraduates and 65% of postgraduates in creative arts and design are women, but 68% of the artists represented at top London commercial galleries are men.
The art market is no better. According to Forbes, there is a $192 billion gender gap in art. Between 2008 and 2019, work produced by women accounted for only $4 billion of the $196.6 billion spent at art auctions. And as for the saying that work signed by women decreases in value - there is still a staggering 47.6% gender discount for womens art at auction today.
The statistics are overwhelming. But what are museums and art markets doing about it?. And how can we achieve gender equality in art in the long term?
Female representation is slowly but surely being boosted. For example, in 2022, the National Portrait Gallery acquired 5 self-portraits by female artists in their collection, and in June 2021, Christies launched their first auction purely dedicated to women artists. But there’s still a long way to go until the gender gap in art closes.
We’ve put together this short list of recommended resources to supplement our first Gender Gap workshop - which took place at the Barber Institute of Fine Art in January 2023. We hope that this guide will provide you a starting point to expand your knowledge, broaden your horizons and inspire you to challenge the gender gap whilst also celebrating both historical and contemporary women artists.
Reading
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Get all of the facts and statistics from National Museum of Women in the Arts, a place which advocates for better representation of women artists. For example, nearly half (45.8%) of visual artists in the United States are women; on average, they earn 74¢ for every dollar made by male artists.
‘TOP ACTIONABLE STEPS TO FIGHT GENDER GAP IN THE ARTS’ by all SHE makes
Want to learn small things you can do to help the gender gap? Head to SHE makes to learn more.
‘The Story of Art Without Men’ by Katy Hessel
Bringing Women into the picture, Hessel’s story of art reimagines Gombrich’s ‘The Story of Art’, originally published in 1950 and featuring only one Woman Artist. Winning the Waterstones book of the year award in 2022, ‘The Story of Art Without Men’ is essential reading to discover Women artists right from the 1500’s up until today (aka The bible of Women Artists).
‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?’ by Linda Nochlin
1971 essay by American art historian Linda Nochlin. It was praised for its new slant on feminist art history and theory, and for examining the institutional obstacles that prevent women from succeeding in the arts.
‘Glitch Feminism, A Manifesto ’ by Legacy Russell
On the topic of ‘gaps’, perhaps this new cyberfeminism manifesto might pique your interest. Russell finds liberation in the glitch between body, gender, and technology through 12 chapters, whilst also referencing contemporary female and non-binary artists who have travelled through the glitch in their work.
Why has the art world got such a gender pay gap problem?
“The Independent” - a short reading of a study on the gender gap in pay across all industries, with a particular focus on the art world, the stigma towards female artists and the devaluation of their artworks because of gender.
One hundred years of the gender gap in examinations results at the University of Oxford
This paper uses a newly discovered data set on examination results by gender from 1913 to 1986 to demonstrate that the gender gap in examinations at the University of Oxford has existed for over a century. The data is collected from the Arts and Science department and analyses periods of increase and decrease within the gap, analysing internal and external factors that contribute to inequality.
‘Gender and Genius: Towards a Feminist Aesthetics’ by Christine Battersby
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, women were blamed for having too much passion, imagination, and sexual appetite. By the late eighteenth century however, these qualities were valued and appropriate for male artists. Christine Battersby explores why the idea of genius is usually attributed as a masculine characteristic and the dilemmas which come with being a female creative.
‘Women Surrealists: Sexuality, Fetish, Femininity And Female Surrealism’ by Sabina Daniela Stent
This brilliant PhD Thesis explores a group of women Surrealists as well as subjects neglected in much orthodox male Surrealist practice. The woman discussed are great examples of how female creatives have adapted movements to go beyond their male counterparts.
Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity: Judith Butler
This paper analysis particularities of oppression in regard to gender, sexuality, bodily politics and identity through a feminist lens. Still, criticizing part of the feminist theory referring to representation and individuality’s language. The work explores categories of sex and gender in and outside of the phallocentric context.
On our wishlist
‘Great Women Artists’ by Phaidon Editors
The most extensive fully illustrated book of women artists ever published, Great Women Artists reflects an era where art made by women is more prominent than ever. Featuring more than 400 artists from more than 50 countries and spanning 500 years of creativity, each artist is represented here by a key artwork and short text.
FEMINIST BOOK: UNMASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour
This reading presents the birth of feminism from the personal perspective of one of the Guerrilla Girls' founders. It undertakes a theatrical, emotional approach to addressing play rights and power dynamics, with a particular focus on female consciousness.
Podcasts
The Great Women Artists Podcast by Katy Hessel
Katy Hessel interviews artists on their careers, or curators, writers, or general art lovers, on the female artist who means the most to them.
‘Death of an Artist’ by Helen Molesworth
Curator Helen Molesworth revisits artist Ana Mendieta’s death and the trial that followed and interrogates both the silence and the protest that have accompanied this story ever since.
Programmes
‘Sonia Boyce: Finding her Voice’ BBC’s Imagine
Alan Yentob follows acclaimed artist Sonia Boyce as she prepares to make history as the first black woman to represent Great Britain at the Venice Biennale.
