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The Story of Art Without Men
From Leonardo da Vinci to Jean-Michel Basquiat, the great painters and sculptures who have defined the fine art canon have largely been men. Katy Hessel seeks to right that wrong by cataloging, celebrating, and elevating women artists and placing their groundbreaking work in its historical, political, and cultural context. From the Renaissance to the present day, Hessel breaks down each time period and movement using a global lens, expanding the canon to include the work of non-Western artists, queer and racially marginalized artists, photographers, textile artists, and more.
Discover the glittering Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance and the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth century. Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of postwar artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Featuring more than 100 works of art in color, The Story of Art Without Men is a timeless and essential addition to any library.
Discover the glittering Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance and the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth century. Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of postwar artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Featuring more than 100 works of art in color, The Story of Art Without Men is a timeless and essential addition to any library.
511 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2022
2130 people are currently reading
39674 people want to read
About the author
Katy Hessel
5 books181 followersKaty Hessel is a British art historian, broadcaster, writer and curator, living in London, whose work is concerned with women artists.
Hessel was born and raised in London. She studied art history at University College London.
She writes on the subject of women artists for various publications. She has written and presented the BBC arts documentaries Artemisia Gentileschi (2020) and Art on the BBC: Monet (2022).
She runs the Great Women Artists Instagram account and in 2019 created a podcast by the same name in which she interviews art historians, art curators, writers, and art lovers about women artists and also talks to women artists about their work and career.
In September 2022, Hessel published the book The Story of Art without Men, a 500-year survey of art by women. It won the 2022 Waterstones Book of the Year. Also in 2022 she became a curatorial trustee of Charleston.
Hessel was born and raised in London. She studied art history at University College London.
She writes on the subject of women artists for various publications. She has written and presented the BBC arts documentaries Artemisia Gentileschi (2020) and Art on the BBC: Monet (2022).
She runs the Great Women Artists Instagram account and in 2019 created a podcast by the same name in which she interviews art historians, art curators, writers, and art lovers about women artists and also talks to women artists about their work and career.
In September 2022, Hessel published the book The Story of Art without Men, a 500-year survey of art by women. It won the 2022 Waterstones Book of the Year. Also in 2022 she became a curatorial trustee of Charleston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 588 reviews
February 13, 2024
Loved reading this and learned so much, but I do feel that something was missing still. This book mostly discusses female artists that managed to break through in male-dominated spaces, mostly playing by their rules (especially before the 20th century). But what about the art women have created for centuries without it being recognized as art - such as artisan crafts (especially from non western cultures)? This book doesn’t talk much about that, which is understandable, because it can only discuss so much. But still a very important & interesting read!
February 6, 2023
I learned so much from this book, and came away from reading it inspired to do and learn so much more.
The day I finished The Story of Art Without Men, I attended a pub quiz whose first round was on 'Art and Literature' - every single book, play, artwork and sculpture referenced in the questions was produced by a man. It's a minor example that really drove home just how big a cultural blind spot we have for the work of women (and non-binary people).
Hessel's writing is accessible and informative, conveying the story of art and the women who create it with passion, humour, and humanity. Her deep knowledge and obvious delight in the subject really shine through, and she does real justice to overlooked artists, creators, and activists and the various movements they sparked and drove forward.
An enlightening account of remarkable artists whose achievements are all the more impressive given the litany of barriers they faced, both practical and social, throughout the eras covered in the book.
I enjoyed discovering new favourite artists, and have resolved both to create more of my own art and to step up my efforts to appreciate exhibitions and galleries when I get the opportunity.
The day I finished The Story of Art Without Men, I attended a pub quiz whose first round was on 'Art and Literature' - every single book, play, artwork and sculpture referenced in the questions was produced by a man. It's a minor example that really drove home just how big a cultural blind spot we have for the work of women (and non-binary people).
Hessel's writing is accessible and informative, conveying the story of art and the women who create it with passion, humour, and humanity. Her deep knowledge and obvious delight in the subject really shine through, and she does real justice to overlooked artists, creators, and activists and the various movements they sparked and drove forward.
An enlightening account of remarkable artists whose achievements are all the more impressive given the litany of barriers they faced, both practical and social, throughout the eras covered in the book.
I enjoyed discovering new favourite artists, and have resolved both to create more of my own art and to step up my efforts to appreciate exhibitions and galleries when I get the opportunity.
February 4, 2023
Good as a general overview for women artists. Both me and my partner had counted ourselves as fans of art (she works at a gallery) but even we struggled to name that many famous female artists.
The book serves its function then and helps to address a lack of recognition for many of the women within its pages and in the cannon of art history itself.
The artists are arranged with intelligence both by theme, movement and time. A wide range of mediums are included from painting to textiles. The art works are selectively chosen and illustrate the talent and brilliance of those who produced them. Some of them are genuinely stunning.
My main problem with the book and the thing that stops me from giving it anymore than a three is probably also one of its achievements strangely enough. In opting for scale the book abandons detail.
Hundreds of women artists are mentioned but they only get a page at most or a paragraph at least to describe their works. In this way the artists merge into one another and become a blur. Taking a little more time to dive into particular artists would have been appreciated. The author could have explored the particulars of how they contributed to their movements or how they innovated in their style and technique. I wanted to know what made them special.
The book serves its function then and helps to address a lack of recognition for many of the women within its pages and in the cannon of art history itself.
The artists are arranged with intelligence both by theme, movement and time. A wide range of mediums are included from painting to textiles. The art works are selectively chosen and illustrate the talent and brilliance of those who produced them. Some of them are genuinely stunning.
My main problem with the book and the thing that stops me from giving it anymore than a three is probably also one of its achievements strangely enough. In opting for scale the book abandons detail.
Hundreds of women artists are mentioned but they only get a page at most or a paragraph at least to describe their works. In this way the artists merge into one another and become a blur. Taking a little more time to dive into particular artists would have been appreciated. The author could have explored the particulars of how they contributed to their movements or how they innovated in their style and technique. I wanted to know what made them special.
March 10, 2025
Ця книга була в буквальному сенсі моєю настільною протягом певного часу. Як же мало я знала (і все ще знаю) на цю тему!
Основна думка, якою я підведу підсумок читання «Історії мистецтва без чоловіків» - ця книжка наче й глибоко копає, авторка провела неймовірне дослідження теми, але все ще залишається доступною для розуміння всіх читачів (навіть таких, хто не дуже в темі).
Шикарне видання, жодного разу не пошкодувала, що маю його на полиці. Шкода було робити звичні мені анотування (а рука сіпалася, бо тут є багато чого для детального анотування), однак хоча б застікерила все найцікавіше. Точно повертатимуся сюди ще. Жінки - це сила 💗
Основна думка, якою я підведу підсумок читання «Історії мистецтва без чоловіків» - ця книжка наче й глибоко копає, авторка провела неймовірне дослідження теми, але все ще залишається доступною для розуміння всіх читачів (навіть таких, хто не дуже в темі).
Шикарне видання, жодного разу не пошкодувала, що маю його на полиці. Шкода було робити звичні мені анотування (а рука сіпалася, бо тут є багато чого для детального анотування), однак хоча б застікерила все найцікавіше. Точно повертатимуся сюди ще. Жінки - це сила 💗
February 14, 2023
This book is a maddening mixture of very interesting content and poor writing, often veering between academic summary and casual social media post without hitting a readable style until the last chapter. It feels like an uncomfortable compromise between two different audiences.
the author’s aim of bringing the importance of many underrated or unknown women artists across different centuries and geographies to the fore, and putting each in their context, is an excellent one and the book is largely successful in proposing a differently shaped canon. There isn’t time or space for much analysis of each artist’s work, perhaps understandably for a book covering such a broad subject, but there are some insightful comments about what is special about each artist.
the author’s aim of bringing the importance of many underrated or unknown women artists across different centuries and geographies to the fore, and putting each in their context, is an excellent one and the book is largely successful in proposing a differently shaped canon. There isn’t time or space for much analysis of each artist’s work, perhaps understandably for a book covering such a broad subject, but there are some insightful comments about what is special about each artist.
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September 11, 202320% in, this is amazing!
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December 31, 2024(...)this is a critical moment for feminism and women’s place in the art world. Now, more than ever, we need to be aware not only of our achievements but of the dangers and difficulties lying in the future. We will need all our wit and courage to make sure that women’s voices are heard, their work seen and written about. That is our task for the future.
Linda Nochlin, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”, Thirty Years
After Women Artists at the Millennium, 2006
O feito de Katy Hessel é louvável, não porque nos traga neste livro nada de novo - existem muitos outros compêndios de História da Arte no feminino desde os anos sessenta e do trabalho pioneiro de Nochlin, Pollock, Parker etc. -, mas porque Hessel conseguiu algo que estas e outras autoras não conseguiram em 50, 60 ou 70 anos: pôr os homens contemporâneos a debater uma História da Arte sem homens (como se fosse uma novidade). A realidade é que, de um dia para o outro, em tudo quanto é podcast, programa de TV ou coluna de opinião, se plasma o título deste livro, e em todos se faz um elogio rasgado ao "novo cânone"*, a "um admirável mundo novo da arte criada no feminino", à "descoberta do deslumbre que esteve ocultado nos últimos séculos", ao "princípio da reposição da justiça através do desafio à perspetiva estabelecida", à "desconstrução de um cânone escrito pelo e no masculino que predominou e ainda predomina na história cultural – e social – da Arte"...** Etc etc etc. E, apesar de toda esta celeuma de novidade ser absurda, é também indicativa de uma coisa: a constatação de que finalmente se encontra espaço para este tipo de publicação fora dos domínios académicos, acessível e apreciada (espero) pelo grande público (masculino?). Esta é a parte boa desta edição.
Depois existem as limitações próprias deste tipo de publicação. Entre elas: a opção estrutural (que aqui é canónica, seguindo uma ordem categórica de origem patriarcal - leia-se, inspirada, sobretudo, em Janson e Gombrich) e os problemas de exclusão e de discriminação que daí advêm como o critério subjetivo das escolhas, a recolha ainda e sempre ocidental, a opção de iniciar este compêndio de História da Arte in media res(i.e. no Renascimento) ou a predominância das belas artes sobre o artesanato/artes menores. Desconfortável e cansativa também é a constante discussão de género num livro que se intitula "sem homens" e que, logo, é um espaço onde cabe tudo menos isso. Por uma vez seria refrescante normalizar os conceitos e o vocabulário em vez de moralizar constantemente sobre eles. Depois há o factor de estranheza que sempre sinto quando num livro de História da Arte se escolhe mencionar artistas cuja obra o livro não reproduz - o que acontece repetidas vezes aqui, acrescido do facto de a autora referenciar várias obras de teor altamente controverso e impactante (político, erótico etc.) que escuda na não ilustração, dando a entender uma espécie de autocensura despropositada. Posso, todavia, estar errada, e a escolha recair somente na limitação física de um livro deste género, mesmo assim, não deixa de ser um handicap dedicar uma página inteira a determinada obra de uma artista e apenas um parágrafo de texto sobre a totalidade da obra de outra.
Apesar disto, História da Arte Sem Homens é um livro de pleno direito, de escrita escorreita (talvez um pouco simplista demais, mas perfeitamente inteligível), e cujo timing é impecável. Numa fase social e politicamente instável em que o perigo de contágio da perda de direitos para as mulheres é, efetivamente, uma ameaça que paira sobre todos os domínios (Mundo da Arte incluído), este livro vem deixar um apelo sentido embora paradoxal, na medida em que a autora se exime de fazer aquilo que encarecidamente pede:
A tarefa seguinte, para quem faz a História da Arte, é a de reconfigurar todo o cânone: destruir a ideia da hierarquia de formas, géneros e culturas. Precisamos de abolir as formas patriarcais de pensar e escrever acerca da arte e de abrir uma variedade de perspetivas que permitem uma visão mais inclusiva, desafiando obras individuais, coleções ou narrativas. Questione sempre aquilo que está a ver, pergunte-se: onde estão as partes marginalizadas ou consideradas menores na cultura dominante e como são representadas?
467
História da Arte Sem Homens é um passo muito interessante, dado numa altura singular, mas que, parece-me a mim, se insere mais numa vaga de discurso que pretende dar conhecimento do reportório feminino às maiorias masculinas do que servir de objeto de referência nesta área. Todavia, aqui está uma ferramenta que permite, como se vê pela sua popularidade, abrir espaço para a discussão de temas relacionados com arte e género junto de leigos e não apenas dentro de meios especializados. Isso, por si só, é um feito! Para quem venha desta área, para um académico, para quem seja um apaixonado da arte ou simplesmente para alguém muito curioso, para lá de nos dar uma cronologia de mulheres artistas entre os séculos XV/XVI e XXI, esta História da Arte não acrescenta quase nada àquilo que já se sabe. É um bom livro, embora relativamente superficial, direcionado para o grande público (não exclusivamente útil para este), mas algumas falhas ainda vão a tempo de ser colmatadas para o tornar mais relevante. Nota muito positiva, no entanto, para o capítulo final Quem tem direito a escrever a História da Arte? que salva uma péssima (e péssima é eufemismo) introdução.
Essencialmente, um manual com o seu interesse de consulta, mas muito aquém de outras obras nas quais se inspira.
É claro que as mulheres foram importantes, mas eram-no por serem as nossas musas. Não eram artistas» , afirmou Roland Penrose, marido de Lee Miller, à lendária feminista Whitney Chadwick, que o visitou em 1980. Quando Chadwick perguntou, mais tarde, à artista Leonora Carrington a sua opinião sobre a musa surrealista, esta respondeu: «Acho que era tudo treta. Eu não tinha tempo para ser a musa de ninguém... Estava demasiado ocupada a revoltar-me contra a família e a aprender a ser artista.»
*https://www.jn.pt/7102036500/como-ser...
**https://antena2.rtp.pt/em-antena/cult...
Linda Nochlin, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”, Thirty Years
After Women Artists at the Millennium, 2006
O feito de Katy Hessel é louvável, não porque nos traga neste livro nada de novo - existem muitos outros compêndios de História da Arte no feminino desde os anos sessenta e do trabalho pioneiro de Nochlin, Pollock, Parker etc. -, mas porque Hessel conseguiu algo que estas e outras autoras não conseguiram em 50, 60 ou 70 anos: pôr os homens contemporâneos a debater uma História da Arte sem homens (como se fosse uma novidade). A realidade é que, de um dia para o outro, em tudo quanto é podcast, programa de TV ou coluna de opinião, se plasma o título deste livro, e em todos se faz um elogio rasgado ao "novo cânone"*, a "um admirável mundo novo da arte criada no feminino", à "descoberta do deslumbre que esteve ocultado nos últimos séculos", ao "princípio da reposição da justiça através do desafio à perspetiva estabelecida", à "desconstrução de um cânone escrito pelo e no masculino que predominou e ainda predomina na história cultural – e social – da Arte"...** Etc etc etc. E, apesar de toda esta celeuma de novidade ser absurda, é também indicativa de uma coisa: a constatação de que finalmente se encontra espaço para este tipo de publicação fora dos domínios académicos, acessível e apreciada (espero) pelo grande público (masculino?). Esta é a parte boa desta edição.
Depois existem as limitações próprias deste tipo de publicação. Entre elas: a opção estrutural (que aqui é canónica, seguindo uma ordem categórica de origem patriarcal - leia-se, inspirada, sobretudo, em Janson e Gombrich) e os problemas de exclusão e de discriminação que daí advêm como o critério subjetivo das escolhas, a recolha ainda e sempre ocidental, a opção de iniciar este compêndio de História da Arte in media res(i.e. no Renascimento) ou a predominância das belas artes sobre o artesanato/artes menores. Desconfortável e cansativa também é a constante discussão de género num livro que se intitula "sem homens" e que, logo, é um espaço onde cabe tudo menos isso. Por uma vez seria refrescante normalizar os conceitos e o vocabulário em vez de moralizar constantemente sobre eles. Depois há o factor de estranheza que sempre sinto quando num livro de História da Arte se escolhe mencionar artistas cuja obra o livro não reproduz - o que acontece repetidas vezes aqui, acrescido do facto de a autora referenciar várias obras de teor altamente controverso e impactante (político, erótico etc.) que escuda na não ilustração, dando a entender uma espécie de autocensura despropositada. Posso, todavia, estar errada, e a escolha recair somente na limitação física de um livro deste género, mesmo assim, não deixa de ser um handicap dedicar uma página inteira a determinada obra de uma artista e apenas um parágrafo de texto sobre a totalidade da obra de outra.
Apesar disto, História da Arte Sem Homens é um livro de pleno direito, de escrita escorreita (talvez um pouco simplista demais, mas perfeitamente inteligível), e cujo timing é impecável. Numa fase social e politicamente instável em que o perigo de contágio da perda de direitos para as mulheres é, efetivamente, uma ameaça que paira sobre todos os domínios (Mundo da Arte incluído), este livro vem deixar um apelo sentido embora paradoxal, na medida em que a autora se exime de fazer aquilo que encarecidamente pede:
A tarefa seguinte, para quem faz a História da Arte, é a de reconfigurar todo o cânone: destruir a ideia da hierarquia de formas, géneros e culturas. Precisamos de abolir as formas patriarcais de pensar e escrever acerca da arte e de abrir uma variedade de perspetivas que permitem uma visão mais inclusiva, desafiando obras individuais, coleções ou narrativas. Questione sempre aquilo que está a ver, pergunte-se: onde estão as partes marginalizadas ou consideradas menores na cultura dominante e como são representadas?
467
História da Arte Sem Homens é um passo muito interessante, dado numa altura singular, mas que, parece-me a mim, se insere mais numa vaga de discurso que pretende dar conhecimento do reportório feminino às maiorias masculinas do que servir de objeto de referência nesta área. Todavia, aqui está uma ferramenta que permite, como se vê pela sua popularidade, abrir espaço para a discussão de temas relacionados com arte e género junto de leigos e não apenas dentro de meios especializados. Isso, por si só, é um feito! Para quem venha desta área, para um académico, para quem seja um apaixonado da arte ou simplesmente para alguém muito curioso, para lá de nos dar uma cronologia de mulheres artistas entre os séculos XV/XVI e XXI, esta História da Arte não acrescenta quase nada àquilo que já se sabe. É um bom livro, embora relativamente superficial, direcionado para o grande público (não exclusivamente útil para este), mas algumas falhas ainda vão a tempo de ser colmatadas para o tornar mais relevante. Nota muito positiva, no entanto, para o capítulo final Quem tem direito a escrever a História da Arte? que salva uma péssima (e péssima é eufemismo) introdução.
Essencialmente, um manual com o seu interesse de consulta, mas muito aquém de outras obras nas quais se inspira.
É claro que as mulheres foram importantes, mas eram-no por serem as nossas musas. Não eram artistas» , afirmou Roland Penrose, marido de Lee Miller, à lendária feminista Whitney Chadwick, que o visitou em 1980. Quando Chadwick perguntou, mais tarde, à artista Leonora Carrington a sua opinião sobre a musa surrealista, esta respondeu: «Acho que era tudo treta. Eu não tinha tempo para ser a musa de ninguém... Estava demasiado ocupada a revoltar-me contra a família e a aprender a ser artista.»
*https://www.jn.pt/7102036500/como-ser...
**https://antena2.rtp.pt/em-antena/cult...
May 18, 2024
I read this right after finishing The Story of Art. The art is just as good, but I did find myself missing Gombrich's unique storytelling voice, especially at the beginning.
You can tell which periods Hessel is most enthusiastic and knowledgeable about because then the writing gleams, but the book does suffer a little from the comparison with Gombrich's work that the title invites.
As the book went on, it became more captivating, possibly because we know more about the artists and their lives in more recent eras.
Works like this are so essential, highlighting fantastic artists that haven't received the recognition they deserve (in some cases even having their ideas nicked by lauded male contemporaries.)
I'd encourage everyone to pick this up as part of their introduction to the art world.
Now I plan on making a list of the artists that intrigued me the most and dive deeper into their work...
You can tell which periods Hessel is most enthusiastic and knowledgeable about because then the writing gleams, but the book does suffer a little from the comparison with Gombrich's work that the title invites.
As the book went on, it became more captivating, possibly because we know more about the artists and their lives in more recent eras.
Works like this are so essential, highlighting fantastic artists that haven't received the recognition they deserve (in some cases even having their ideas nicked by lauded male contemporaries.)
I'd encourage everyone to pick this up as part of their introduction to the art world.
Now I plan on making a list of the artists that intrigued me the most and dive deeper into their work...
November 24, 2022
Deutsche Übersetzung als Fahne gelesen. Übersetzung ist schlecht, aber das Buch ist leider überhaupt nicht gut. Als Liste von Künstlerinnen, die man sich mal genauer angucken kann, ganz okay. Das war’s aber auch. Keine Darstellung der eigenen Auswahlkrieterien, keine Diskusssion dessen, was die Story of Art without Men überhaupt sein kann. Was heißt Story? Was bedeutet hier Art? Warum der starke Fokus auf eine ganz bestimmt Art vor allem über große Galerien vermarkteter Kunst? Warum keine Reflexion darüber, was das überhaupt für eine Kategorie ist „without Men“ ?
Die Übersetzung ist wirklich nicht gut, völlig bizarres Wechseln zwischen allen möglichen Formen des Genderns, zB. Fachbegriffe bleiben oft unübersetzt.
Das ist echt leider eine richtig vertane Chance.
Die Übersetzung ist wirklich nicht gut, völlig bizarres Wechseln zwischen allen möglichen Formen des Genderns, zB. Fachbegriffe bleiben oft unübersetzt.
Das ist echt leider eine richtig vertane Chance.
December 24, 2022
This is magnificent. It's so well written, it reads like you are just chatting to a very knowledgeable friend. It's brilliantly illustrated with scores of high quality, colour reproductions of many of the works Hessel talks about, and it is absolutely wonderful to read.
This is a vital and necessary book that reinserts women into the time line of art history and gives them their rightful place. It looks at women artists on a global stage and across centuries. It includes women still alive and working today and looks to the future of art for and by women as well as acknowledging the foundations they stand on built by the women who came before them.
I read it over a series of weeks as I kept nipping off to look at more works by the artists that grabbed me and listening to The Great Women Artists podcast to go deeper in to the lives and works of the women Hessel mentions in the book. It's genuinely exciting and inspiring and I loved it.
This is a vital and necessary book that reinserts women into the time line of art history and gives them their rightful place. It looks at women artists on a global stage and across centuries. It includes women still alive and working today and looks to the future of art for and by women as well as acknowledging the foundations they stand on built by the women who came before them.
I read it over a series of weeks as I kept nipping off to look at more works by the artists that grabbed me and listening to The Great Women Artists podcast to go deeper in to the lives and works of the women Hessel mentions in the book. It's genuinely exciting and inspiring and I loved it.
June 12, 2023
This is primarily a coffee table book meets chic social media quasi-feminism. Which is a great product for the Western bourgeois society! Nothing particularly wrong with that.
What's worrying is the amount of attention this is getting from academic circles. However, this is more indicative of the state of British academic art history than it is about this instagrammable but lacklustre publication. Again, if the aim was to create a fun and playful coffee table book -- that's great! I have several coffee table books at home. However, I don't mistake them for academic literature, novelty insight, and quality writing.
So, as I coffee table book this gets 5 stars.
As an art historical inquiry into women in art it gets 1 star.
Again, this book is fine for what it is. However, I think we need to stop treating it as a serious publication and recognise that it's strength lies in the effectiveness of the marketing department and the author's brilliant self-promotion. It takes a lot of confidence to write something so basic and promote it so fiercely. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was written and promoted by a man.
What's worrying is the amount of attention this is getting from academic circles. However, this is more indicative of the state of British academic art history than it is about this instagrammable but lacklustre publication. Again, if the aim was to create a fun and playful coffee table book -- that's great! I have several coffee table books at home. However, I don't mistake them for academic literature, novelty insight, and quality writing.
So, as I coffee table book this gets 5 stars.
As an art historical inquiry into women in art it gets 1 star.
Again, this book is fine for what it is. However, I think we need to stop treating it as a serious publication and recognise that it's strength lies in the effectiveness of the marketing department and the author's brilliant self-promotion. It takes a lot of confidence to write something so basic and promote it so fiercely. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was written and promoted by a man.
May 30, 2023
“Overlooked artists are not a trend. Women artists are not a trend.
Queer artists are not a trend. Artists of colour are not a trend. Art historians, and those engaged in creating the canons of art, must sustain their stories, and in order to do that - so future generations can see equality as normality and representation as priority - we must create useful, deeply engaging, thoughtful, accessible resources and institutions that reflect the new world.”
“As the world resets, so must art history.”
Queer artists are not a trend. Artists of colour are not a trend. Art historians, and those engaged in creating the canons of art, must sustain their stories, and in order to do that - so future generations can see equality as normality and representation as priority - we must create useful, deeply engaging, thoughtful, accessible resources and institutions that reflect the new world.”
“As the world resets, so must art history.”
March 3, 2023
a must-read! for everyone!
May 18, 2024
I really wanted to like this book and for the most part I do. I think it is brilliant as a catalogue of women artists that covers such a vast period quite succinctly. It was enjoyable and interesting to read. However, it was hard to shake an uncomfortable feeling that lead me to wonder if I was a ~bad feminist~ or if I didn’t get it because I felt like it was lacking something. To me Katy Hessel writes about the artists as if they had been forgotten about, like they were begging to be considered by “the establishment” rather than acknowledging that they had been left out by design, that their work was not valued in their time. I finished the book with a longing for it to have been more radical and I couldn’t fully understand why I felt like that. I read her Wikipedia page and saw the work received criticism for “exemplifying neoliberal feminism” and grew closer to understanding. Then I read Crystal Bennes piece in “The Penitent Review” and felt so relieved that there was someone with the expertise and vocabulary to express what I had been feeling about the book. I recommend the review to anyone who has read or is thinking about reading this book. For fear of writing out the whole review here, as there are so many quotes from it that hit the nail on the head I will try to only insert a few.
“rather than reject Gombrich’s ‘flawed approach’, Hessel seems to want to recreate it, only this time ‘break down the canon’ and include the women.”
“The fact that Hessel’s project takes for its centre of gravity a concept so deeply rooted in white supremacy and patriarchy speaks to a lack of critical engagement with feminist histories and historiography. For art historian Maura Reilly, ‘revising the canon to address the neglect of women and/or minority artists is fundamentally an impossible project because such revision does not grapple with the terms that created that neglect in the first place’.”
I think the feeling is exasperation. It is just tiring to read that in the attempt to decentre the prominence of white men and Western paradigm, the framework which put them at the centre is still being used as the standard with which all else is measured against.
“This is a feminism that superficially gestures in the direction of diversity and inclusivity without understanding the ways in which intersectional frameworks demand fundamentally different ways of doing things.”
“The Story of Art Without Men enacts a huge erasure of other women. Namely, women (and men) art historians, academics, artists journalists, curators and other art workers. Not a single one of the words written in this 450-page book would have been possible without the vital contribution of the people who have dedicated themselves to the study of the artists mentioned throughout.”
I don’t want to bash this book just because I was expecting something more radical and was disappointed. I still think it’s hugely impressive, especially considering this is Hessels first book. It brings an enormous amount of information to mainstream masses. To take on the criticism this book has received and try to construct something on the back of that would create a colossal work of endless writing, something which Bennes addresses also:
“as Virginia Wolf put it, ‘in relation to women writers, you have to leave room to deal with other things besides their work, so much has that work been influenced by conditions that have nothing whatever to do with art’. When you try to cram 500 years of art history into a single book, with each artist getting no more than a few paragraphs, there’s simply no way you can address any of Woolf’s ‘other things’ (by which, just to be absolutely clear, I mean, things like class and race, family connections and networks, or caring responsibilities).”
The vastness of this book is its merit and downfall. Despite the criticism I want to explore Hessels other works which on another platform or medium may allow for more depth and nuance. I really enjoyed her positivity and her passion shines through. I do not see this as a stand alone piece or a correction on the canon of art history, I see it as an introductory springboard, a helpful guide. One thing that it Hessel has definitely accomplished with this book for me is igniting an interest in feminist art histories.
“rather than reject Gombrich’s ‘flawed approach’, Hessel seems to want to recreate it, only this time ‘break down the canon’ and include the women.”
“The fact that Hessel’s project takes for its centre of gravity a concept so deeply rooted in white supremacy and patriarchy speaks to a lack of critical engagement with feminist histories and historiography. For art historian Maura Reilly, ‘revising the canon to address the neglect of women and/or minority artists is fundamentally an impossible project because such revision does not grapple with the terms that created that neglect in the first place’.”
I think the feeling is exasperation. It is just tiring to read that in the attempt to decentre the prominence of white men and Western paradigm, the framework which put them at the centre is still being used as the standard with which all else is measured against.
“This is a feminism that superficially gestures in the direction of diversity and inclusivity without understanding the ways in which intersectional frameworks demand fundamentally different ways of doing things.”
“The Story of Art Without Men enacts a huge erasure of other women. Namely, women (and men) art historians, academics, artists journalists, curators and other art workers. Not a single one of the words written in this 450-page book would have been possible without the vital contribution of the people who have dedicated themselves to the study of the artists mentioned throughout.”
I don’t want to bash this book just because I was expecting something more radical and was disappointed. I still think it’s hugely impressive, especially considering this is Hessels first book. It brings an enormous amount of information to mainstream masses. To take on the criticism this book has received and try to construct something on the back of that would create a colossal work of endless writing, something which Bennes addresses also:
“as Virginia Wolf put it, ‘in relation to women writers, you have to leave room to deal with other things besides their work, so much has that work been influenced by conditions that have nothing whatever to do with art’. When you try to cram 500 years of art history into a single book, with each artist getting no more than a few paragraphs, there’s simply no way you can address any of Woolf’s ‘other things’ (by which, just to be absolutely clear, I mean, things like class and race, family connections and networks, or caring responsibilities).”
The vastness of this book is its merit and downfall. Despite the criticism I want to explore Hessels other works which on another platform or medium may allow for more depth and nuance. I really enjoyed her positivity and her passion shines through. I do not see this as a stand alone piece or a correction on the canon of art history, I see it as an introductory springboard, a helpful guide. One thing that it Hessel has definitely accomplished with this book for me is igniting an interest in feminist art histories.
January 4, 2023
*4.5 stars*
A nice—though very brief— introduction. If you want to dabble in the topic of women in art, this is definitely worth the read. It will leave you with lots of ideas for independent research. If you’re looking for very in-depth discussion on artists or topics, this is not what this book is about.
A nice—though very brief— introduction. If you want to dabble in the topic of women in art, this is definitely worth the read. It will leave you with lots of ideas for independent research. If you’re looking for very in-depth discussion on artists or topics, this is not what this book is about.
September 1, 2025
Мені сподобалось, тут навіть згадуються Соня Делоне та Марія Башкирцева (чекаю,коли якесь видавництво видає її щоденник) українські художниці
December 28, 2022
Die Grundidee finde ich großartig. Nicht-männliche Kunst wird bis in die Gegenwart leider oft als Abweichung von der Norm und als ungewöhnlich empfunden. Einzelausstellungen von Frauen findet man bis heute nur sehr selten und von einem queeren Menschen ist mir bisher noch gar keine begegnet. (Falls ihr Empfehlungen habt, immer her damit. Wenn ich dort mit dem Zug gut hinkomme, überlege ich mir gerne mal einen Tagesausflug.) Dieses Buch möchte gegen dieses Ungleichgewicht vorgehen und betrachtet deswegen die Kunstgeschichte mal aus einer ganz anderen Perspektive: Nur weibliche und queere Künstler:innen werden hier vorgestellt, die Männer werden ausgespart, die findet ihr eh in jedem anderen kunsthistorischen Sachbuch. Einige der Künstlerinnen kannte ich bereits: zum Beispiel Frieda Kahlo, Artemisia Gentileschi oder Niki de Saint Phalle. Viele andere waren mir neu.
Der Stil der Autorin liest sich angenehm und ist definitiv auch für Leute ohne einem Abschluss in einem kunstgeschichtlichen Studium geeignet. Das halte ich für eine große Stärke dieses Buchs, denn es ist für eine breite Zielgruppe verständlich und hat so das Potential, gerade auch Menschen zu erreichen, die sonst größere Berührungsängste hätten und sich ein solches Thema vielleicht nicht zutrauen würden.
Schade fand ich aber, dass dieses Buch so unglaublich dicht war. Mir persönlich wäre es lieber gewesen, weniger Künstler:innen kennen zu lernen und die dafür genauer. Auch hätte ich es gut gefunden, die Künstler:innen auch optisch offensichtlicher von einander zu trennen. Hier passierte der Wechsel von einer Person zur nächsten oft einfach im Fließtext, was zumindest bei mir für Verständnisprobleme und für Irritation sorgte. Allerdings habe ich die eBook-Version gelesen, vielleicht ist das im Printbuch besser gelöst.
Auch mein zweiter Kritikpunkt betrifft nur die eBook-Version, in der gibt es nämlich keine Bilder. Zumindest in der Version, die mir der Verlag für die Rezension zur Verfügung gestellt hat. Klar, da wurde zumindest ich vorgewarnt, für euch wollte ich das aber trotzdem nochmal kurz ansprechen. Vor allem, weil mir nicht klar ist, warum es zu dieser Aussparung kam. Ich fand es schade, dass ich Bilder, die hier angesprochen wurden, immer erst nachschlagen musste, denn so wurde ich ständig wieder aus meinem Lesefluss gerissen. Und ganz ehrlich: Manchmal habe ich mir das Nachschauen dann auch einfach gespart, damit ich auch irgendwann Fortschritte mache.
Mein Fazit? Großartige Grundidee und gut geschrieben, aber leider gibt es meiner Meinung nach Schwächen in der formalen Umsetzung.
Der Stil der Autorin liest sich angenehm und ist definitiv auch für Leute ohne einem Abschluss in einem kunstgeschichtlichen Studium geeignet. Das halte ich für eine große Stärke dieses Buchs, denn es ist für eine breite Zielgruppe verständlich und hat so das Potential, gerade auch Menschen zu erreichen, die sonst größere Berührungsängste hätten und sich ein solches Thema vielleicht nicht zutrauen würden.
Schade fand ich aber, dass dieses Buch so unglaublich dicht war. Mir persönlich wäre es lieber gewesen, weniger Künstler:innen kennen zu lernen und die dafür genauer. Auch hätte ich es gut gefunden, die Künstler:innen auch optisch offensichtlicher von einander zu trennen. Hier passierte der Wechsel von einer Person zur nächsten oft einfach im Fließtext, was zumindest bei mir für Verständnisprobleme und für Irritation sorgte. Allerdings habe ich die eBook-Version gelesen, vielleicht ist das im Printbuch besser gelöst.
Auch mein zweiter Kritikpunkt betrifft nur die eBook-Version, in der gibt es nämlich keine Bilder. Zumindest in der Version, die mir der Verlag für die Rezension zur Verfügung gestellt hat. Klar, da wurde zumindest ich vorgewarnt, für euch wollte ich das aber trotzdem nochmal kurz ansprechen. Vor allem, weil mir nicht klar ist, warum es zu dieser Aussparung kam. Ich fand es schade, dass ich Bilder, die hier angesprochen wurden, immer erst nachschlagen musste, denn so wurde ich ständig wieder aus meinem Lesefluss gerissen. Und ganz ehrlich: Manchmal habe ich mir das Nachschauen dann auch einfach gespart, damit ich auch irgendwann Fortschritte mache.
Mein Fazit? Großartige Grundidee und gut geschrieben, aber leider gibt es meiner Meinung nach Schwächen in der formalen Umsetzung.
February 19, 2023
as an overview of art history without men it's great and introduced me to loads of artworks/artists i now love, but it's not that well written (often resorting to cliché) and focused more on biography than on art criticism. would have appreciated more discussion of the artworks themselves (often there was only a single sentence about each artwork)
April 22, 2025
birthday gift from some best friends (https://www.fremauxvaldez.com), that’s absolutely fantastic!
May 18, 2023
2.5. Premise, brilliant. Execution, meh. General survey was effective. Some of the stories of these women were amazing. However, the mashup writing style of social media post/undergrad art appreciation essays started to annoy. A bit more art analysis and a bit less art summary would have also helped validate her arguments about the skill of women artists.
Also, I read this via a library ebook, and for some unknown reason the publisher decided that instead of discretely linked end note numbers in the text, the book would have whole terms, sentences, and passages hyperlinked in blue. Some pages had 4 or 5 major sections with bright blue links. It was constant and so distracting. Definitely recommend avoiding the ebook version. Maybe it would have helped me get more out of the content/enjoyed it more if it didn't feel like I was reading 450 Wikipedia pages!
Also, I read this via a library ebook, and for some unknown reason the publisher decided that instead of discretely linked end note numbers in the text, the book would have whole terms, sentences, and passages hyperlinked in blue. Some pages had 4 or 5 major sections with bright blue links. It was constant and so distracting. Definitely recommend avoiding the ebook version. Maybe it would have helped me get more out of the content/enjoyed it more if it didn't feel like I was reading 450 Wikipedia pages!
July 28, 2024
i love her instagram & podcast!
September 25, 2024
superficial neoliberal feminism!
October 30, 2024
Quick, name three historical female artists. Name 23 historical male artists. Which is an easier task? What if I say 'pre 20th century?' It gets even harder to find women's names, right?
If you can't find this book at your library, play the puzzle game app Art Heist on your tablet; it pays special attention to classical pieces by women. From that you'll learn about some women who overcame the challenges and created masterpieces. And have fun, imo.
---
Ok, I'm only about 100 pp in and frustrated. Not really the book's fault. The first fifth of the book covers the years 1500 to 1900. Nothing before that. And the rest of the book is about more recent art. I was closely skimming, but from now on I think I'll be lightly skimming. I mean, I'm not sure I could name 23 artists period from 1900 on, off the top of my head - I'm more interested in the classical works and also the ones from before 'fine art' was a discipline and before individual artists got named credit. Still a valuable book that I highly recommend, but not what I wanted.
Oh, and note that the author was born in 1994. I'm impressed and look forward to more from her.
" if we aren't seeing art by a wide range of people, we aren't really seeing society, history or culture as a whole."
Artemisia Gentileschi, *Judith slaying Holofernes.*
Mary Delaney, *Flora Delanica.*
Evelyn de Morgan, *Night and Sleep.*
"The Impressionists [favored] the bustling Parisian outdoor culture (... aided by the recent invention of paint tubes, which no longer restricted artists to the studio)....
---
Ok done. I did wind up skimming carefully and examining each image. And there's a lot from the last century that does impress & intrigue. I do hope you get a chance to look at this.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, *Ethiopia*
Augusta Savage, *The Harp*
Elizabeth Catlett, *Black Unity*
Lina Bo Bardi, MASP. That is, the The Museum of Art Sao Paulo, the building itself. Art hangs on glass walls, looks like it's floating, and the backs of the works are therefore visible, too. Building itself is up in the air, almost as if a bridge. Very cool.
Jenny Holzer, *Truisms* - public art of statements on marquees etc., for example the statement "Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise."
In 1982 Agnes Denes literally planted and harvested two acres of *Wheatfield: A Confrontation* a block from Wall Street, facing the Statue of Liberty. If that's not a statement I don't know what is, and it doesn't resort to ugliness like too much modern art, imo, does.
Btw, this is a well-designed book. Not too big to be held in hand, but on heavy, glossy paper so the images look marvelous.
If you can't find this book at your library, play the puzzle game app Art Heist on your tablet; it pays special attention to classical pieces by women. From that you'll learn about some women who overcame the challenges and created masterpieces. And have fun, imo.
---
Ok, I'm only about 100 pp in and frustrated. Not really the book's fault. The first fifth of the book covers the years 1500 to 1900. Nothing before that. And the rest of the book is about more recent art. I was closely skimming, but from now on I think I'll be lightly skimming. I mean, I'm not sure I could name 23 artists period from 1900 on, off the top of my head - I'm more interested in the classical works and also the ones from before 'fine art' was a discipline and before individual artists got named credit. Still a valuable book that I highly recommend, but not what I wanted.
Oh, and note that the author was born in 1994. I'm impressed and look forward to more from her.
" if we aren't seeing art by a wide range of people, we aren't really seeing society, history or culture as a whole."
Artemisia Gentileschi, *Judith slaying Holofernes.*
Mary Delaney, *Flora Delanica.*
Evelyn de Morgan, *Night and Sleep.*
"The Impressionists [favored] the bustling Parisian outdoor culture (... aided by the recent invention of paint tubes, which no longer restricted artists to the studio)....
---
Ok done. I did wind up skimming carefully and examining each image. And there's a lot from the last century that does impress & intrigue. I do hope you get a chance to look at this.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, *Ethiopia*
Augusta Savage, *The Harp*
Elizabeth Catlett, *Black Unity*
Lina Bo Bardi, MASP. That is, the The Museum of Art Sao Paulo, the building itself. Art hangs on glass walls, looks like it's floating, and the backs of the works are therefore visible, too. Building itself is up in the air, almost as if a bridge. Very cool.
Jenny Holzer, *Truisms* - public art of statements on marquees etc., for example the statement "Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise."
In 1982 Agnes Denes literally planted and harvested two acres of *Wheatfield: A Confrontation* a block from Wall Street, facing the Statue of Liberty. If that's not a statement I don't know what is, and it doesn't resort to ugliness like too much modern art, imo, does.
Btw, this is a well-designed book. Not too big to be held in hand, but on heavy, glossy paper so the images look marvelous.
October 10, 2024
much underlining and notes to be taken.
August 1, 2023
existential crisis this is gorgeous i would say more but i don’t need to 🍐 !
April 9, 2024
I just wish it hadn’t been so western centric, otherwise phenomenal. The descriptions of the art are so vivid it’s as if you’ve stepped into the work itself.
November 17, 2024
wish less Euro/America centric
January 13, 2026
"The book takes its title from the so-called introductory ‘bible’ to art history, E.H. Gobrich’s The Story of Art. It’s a wonderful book but for one flaw: is first edition (1950) included zero women artists and even the sixteenth edition includes only one. I hope this book will create a new guide, to supplement what we already know."
Katy Hessel is a British art historian who runs The Great Women Artists podcast (https://www.thegreatwomenartists.com/..., on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatwom...). And what she's put together here was an informative and delightful read, especially as it is no easy feat to strike the right balance between information, context, and categorization while choosing exactly which artists and artworks to highlight---and then make all this actually enjoyable to read.
She works chronologically through history and art movements to situate the reader and the artwork, while acknowledging the many obstacles and social barriers that made these artists achievements all the more remarkable. I'm simply going to list some of my favorite discoveries and anecdotes below...
-------------------------------
Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1620–21
-------------------------------
Maria Sibylla Meiran, Blue Butterflies and Pomegranate, 1705-1771
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Benedetta Cappa Marinetti, Speeding Motor Boat, 1923-4
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Dorothea Tanning, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1943
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Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper, 1952
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Pop artists criticizing the presentation and control of female bodies:
- Allen Jones hypersexualized hatstand, table, and chair: https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-all...?
- Maria Sol Escobar, Love, 1962
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Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers, all-female African American community (mostly descended from slaves) quilting since early 20th century in the rural Alabama town of Boykin (pattern in official portrait of Michelle Obama references Gee’s Bend)
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Ana Mendieta, Untitled (Rape Scene), 1973
Not embedding the image here, but including the link--it's disturbing as you would expect from the title as Mendieta was using her own body to force viewers to confront the true story of a student who was raped:
https://hammer.ucla.edu/radical-women...
-------------------------------
Apparently, this short video came back into circulation during the Black Lives Matter movement, but I was not aware of it.
Howardena Pindell, Free, White and 21, 1980
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MZo5... (deals w/ racism)
-------------------------------
Paula Rego, Dog Woman, 1994
-------------------------------
New-to-me contemporary artists:
- Cao Fei
- Jade Fadojutimi
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby, When the Going is Smooth and Good, 2017
-------------------------------
Rivolta Femminile
Italian feminist group that also put out a Manifesto of Female Revolt:
https://disruptnow.org/defining-the-e...
-------------------------------
New vocab:
YONIC: Of or relating to yoni (a representation of the vulva, a symbol associated with the worship of Shakti)
September 26, 2024
I wish I could rate it with more stars for the theme, but there are some things that prevent me from doing that:
the citation style is super inefficient, it’s all in the back of the book without ANY remarks or footnotes throughout all the chapters, no standard note of materials and size for figures
In the chapter about botanical depictions in dutch era she suddenly included a british artist without properly acknowledging it and explaining why
A lot of baseless assumptions, a bit of slang, no explanation of epochs which would, in that case, a bit justify the narrative way
One chapter was called “the 1980s” saying that it paved way for 1990s (very unexpected), and then keeps pushing 1970s and 1990s more in this chapter as the representative of 1980s… (the author acknowledges it tho, but it makes no sense to me tbh)
Overall, not really scientific, no mention of critical studies, but more of a “short biography and couple of artworks for each artist”
the citation style is super inefficient, it’s all in the back of the book without ANY remarks or footnotes throughout all the chapters, no standard note of materials and size for figures
In the chapter about botanical depictions in dutch era she suddenly included a british artist without properly acknowledging it and explaining why
A lot of baseless assumptions, a bit of slang, no explanation of epochs which would, in that case, a bit justify the narrative way
One chapter was called “the 1980s” saying that it paved way for 1990s (very unexpected), and then keeps pushing 1970s and 1990s more in this chapter as the representative of 1980s… (the author acknowledges it tho, but it makes no sense to me tbh)
Overall, not really scientific, no mention of critical studies, but more of a “short biography and couple of artworks for each artist”
August 6, 2024
Ważna i potrzebna.
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