Women In Modern Art

Women in Modern Art

WOMEN IN MODERN ART

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Women in Modern Art 2

Women in Modern Art

Art is at the heart of every nation’s economic development. People from different

lifestyles associate with various types of art for investment or entertainment purposes. Renowned

artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and others in the Renaissance period have had a great impact

in the world of art and contributed greatly to shaping the modern world art. However, the

Renaissance period art and the modern world art are quite different because today’s artists are

more interested in confirming their work to a career than they are in creating art that will

transform the society politically and socially. The frescoes of good and bad governance painted

by Lorenzetti are a good example of how art has been able to transform the political sphere and

other aspects of life in the past. The modern art has changed the focus of artists mainly because

the needs of the consumers are rapidly changing. However, discrimination in art based on gender

and race persists in the current world.

It is easier to name a few male artists from the

Renaissance period than it is to name any female artists. It begs the question why women are not

involved in art or why their works are not as magnified as those of their male counterparts. The

current paper discusses the position of women in modern art by connecting the past and the

present situations in which female artists find themselves.

In many museums, especially in London and some parts of the United States, galleries,

mostly display work created by male artists with only a few from female artists. The lack of an

opportunity to showcase the female artists work to the world limits the opportunities for such

artists to thrive in a career that has been male dominated for a long time. For instance, in the

Wendelin Guentner, Women art critics in nineteenth-century France: vanishing acts (Newark: University of

Delaware Press, 2013), 79.

Women in Modern Art 3

museum of modern art gallery, only thirteen pieces of the 169 works exhibited are from female

artists.

The sexisms and racisms of the contemporary art have left women with no one to fight

for their position in the world of art hence discouraging many. The most common assumption of

the world and the people who notice such discrepancies between the number of male artist’s

work and female artists work displayed in galleries is that women’s art not good at creating art.

However, the assumption is false because the same pieces created by women artists receive

much credit from the same galleries if the gender of the artist is not mentioned. In other words,

the gender of the person determines the quality of the art and its chances of reaching the right

audience.

Gender discrimination in art has persisted for a long time, mainly because women lack

the collaborative power that is needed to produce great artwork. While the male artists spend

time borrowing ideas from one another on how to create relevant art, women prefer to work

alone. Art is a collective work and requires different ideas and views from varied groups of

people to create an ideal representation of the current situation. Additionally, art must reflect

correctly the present, future or the past. Bringing the ideas together requires collaborative work,

which lacks among the female artists.

However, this is not to say that women artists do not

create remarkable work. The lack of collaboration makes the process of artistic development

among female artists’ time consuming, hence their limited chances of exhibiting.

Georg Baselits, a German artist once stated that female artists lack the capacity to create

ideal artwork because they do not paint well. He further added that women artists cannot pass the

market test to have their artwork exhibited in the major galleries. The claim is an indication of

Ibid. 108.

Sally Hickson, Women, art and architectural patronage in Renaissance Mantua matrons, mystics and monasteries

(Farnham, Surrey, England Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012), 143.

Women in Modern Art 4

the general view of women in the art world not just by the exhibit, but also by the fellow artists.

The perception compromises the position of female artists in the art world while giving their

male counterpart opportunities to excel in the male dominated industry. In addition, the

perception influences the audience and their purchase decisions. If people believe the words of

Georg then very few people will be willing to partake of artwork produced by female artists.

Therefore, female artwork is rarely exhibited in major because collectors and exhibitors mostly

listen to the audience to decide which materials to display in their galleries.

The issue of gender and sexism in art has persisted for a while, but things have changed

over the last four decades. Female artists are beginning to understand the importance of

solidarity in achieving success in art. Various galleries across the world are now focusing on

exhibiting artwork produced by women to empower such gifts and talents. However, the process

of empowering female art often faces the challenge of discrimination between women of color

and white women. Further, women are their own enemies. A young photographer in an interview

with the New York times indicated that although she has better opportunities to showcase her

work in the modern world, some women artists act as gatekeepers hindering young female artists

from thriving in the industry. The lack of cohesion among women continues to place them at a

lower position in the art world regardless of their abilities.

The creative capabilities of women are still a point of discussion among artists. Women

in the modern art are viewed as less creative and less innovative as compared to their

counterparts. Art requires high levels of creativity and the innovative power of a person without

which it is hard to impress the audience. The presumed lack of creativity among female artists

Paula Birnbaum, Women artists in interwar France: framing femininities (Farnham, Surrey, UK, England

Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011), 173.

Amy Levin, Gender, sexuality and museums: a Routledge reader (United Kingdom: Routledge, 2010), 64.

Women in Modern Art 5

limits the number of exhibitors willing to showcase their work. Additionally, the lack of a

platform to showcase the works makes it hard for the audience to identify with female artists.

Unlike other industries, success in art depends on how well an individual is known to the

audience. Exhibitors play an important role in the success or failure of an artist. Therefore, the

lack of confidence in female artwork among exhibitors has continually downplayed the role of

women in art even in the modern world.

Linda Stein is one of the renowned female artists whose work has made a considerable

impact in the political and social spheres of life. Stein argues that for female artists to succeed in

a world that has been male dominated for a long time they must put twice the efforts the male

artists do comparatively. The reasons for women marginalization in the world of art are

numerous. First, women have many choices and commitments in life, including taking care of

the family. Although the position of women in the society has changed in the twenty first

century, children still have a considerable impact on the amount of time that a female artist

spends in the studio or on the air from one exhibition to another.

Consequently, male artists are

better paid than their female counterparts are comparatively. Art created by women takes time to

pick the right price in the market. Louise Bourgeois painting of a spider is one of the female

artist pieces that have fetched a high price in the market recently.

Although the older female

artists are beginning to see value in their work, the process is slow and it still places women in a

disadvantaged position in art. The financial challenges and the divided attention between career

and family weigh so heavily on the female artists hence the marginalization.

Barbara Harbach, Women in the Arts: eccentric essays II (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars

Publishing, 2015) 78.

Ellen Gamerman and Mary Lane “Women on the verge,” The wall street journal 16 no. 1 (2015), 7.

Women in Modern Art 6

The marginalization of female artists in the art world is a situation that has persisted for a

long time. The different roles of women in the society and the place of a woman have hindered

progress of female artists in the industry. Additionally, issues such as lack of collaboration and

the unwillingness of older women to support young female artists have also contributed to the

sexisms and gender discrimination in art around the globe. However, reforms such as the Spain

gender law in art has given hope to the female artists and the activists who fight for the position

of women in the art world. The reforms experienced in Spain can be adapted to other parts of the

world to create an equal opportunity and a better position of women in the world of art.

Women in Modern Art 7

Bibliography

Birnbaum, Paula. Women artists in interwar France: framing femininities. Farnham, Surrey, UK,

England Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2011.

Gamerman, Ellen and Mary, Lane. “Women on the verge.” The wall street journal 16 no. 1

(2015), 1-10.

Guentner, Wendelin A. Women art critics in nineteenth-century France: vanishing acts. Newark:

University of Delaware Press, 2013.

Harbach, Barbara. Women in the Arts: eccentric essays II. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK:

Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015.

Hickson, Sally. Women, art, and architectural patronage in Renaissance Mantua matrons,

mystics, and monasteries. Farnham, Surrey, England Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2012.

Levin, Amy. Gender, sexuality, and museums: a Routledge reader. United Kingdom: Routledge,

2010.

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