BOOK REVIEW: "Women Artists" by Flavia Frigeri

This little informative gem forms part of the “Art Essentials” series published by Thames & Hudson. They are engaging, accessible, authoritative richly illustrated and expertly written guides to the ideas, philosophies and artworks created by artists over time. For a little handbook, it is a very comprehensive and precise reference.

This author comes highly credentialled having been educated at University College London, The University of Chicago and John Cabot University in Rome She is also a trustee for the Association for Art History. In April just passed, she has taken up the prestigious position of Curatorial and Collections Director at the National Portrait Gallery London.

This book explains that having been historically more the objects of subject matter, women’s contributions as artists and art makers has been enormously underacknowledged. Fortunately, nowadays women are generally no longer working under male pseudonyms – an historical and widely adopted practice also in other arts including literature.

Frigeri examines and describes over 50 remarkable female artists from the 16th century to the present day. One of my favourites newly learned facts from this book, is the clever use of self-portraiture utilized by a wonderfully talented Flemish female still life painter-Clara Peeters (1607-1621). She very skillfully added some well-hidden self-portraits on the reflective surfaces of her motionless objects- like a pewter flagon gracing her still life painting. The viewer must really look hard to see these miniature references. The inclusion of this image represents a message that this woman demanded to be seen at least somewhere in her art!

The 50 included, remarkable women artists and their stories lead us to a much better understanding of the place, importance and value of women in the history of art. It explores their authentic and important contributions as art makers, their lives and work throughout four and a half centuries.

Featured also is the “Guerilla Girls”, a feminist activist collective, who, in 1989, posed the question:” Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” At this time, less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections were women, but 85% of the nudes were female.  This group continue still today to challenge and rectify the gender imbalance of the art world.

I see current day recognition in the popularity and promotion of artists like Frida Kahlo. I also appreciate the fact that of 1600 Archibald Prize artists, a third have been women and 13 have won a total of 15 times. The most exhibited woman artist is Aileen Dent with 63 works between 1921 and 1962. In Australia we celebrate the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Margaret Olley, Del Kathryn Barton, Joy Hester and Rosalie Gascoigne and others.

Our author, Dr Frigeri I predict will bring her interest and expertise in the history and place of women artists to her new role in the UK,

and possibly we will see them more widely represented in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

E.B.