"Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum? the feminist art collective Guerrilla Girls asked in their famous 1989 poster. It pointed out that fewer than 5% of the artists in the modern art sections were women, but 85% of the nudes were female. They could have asked the same question of any major art gallery in the world."
"Four decades later, this year's biggest UK exhibitions finally show a different picture. Dame Tracey Emin might be naked in many of her self-portraits, but that isn't what got her into Tate Modern for a landmark retrospective. Rose Wylie, 91, is the first female painter to have a solo exhibition at the Royal Academy."
"It might seem shocking that the Royal Academy has not seen fit to give its main gallery to a female painter until now, but the National Gallery, which celebrated its bicentenary last year, held its first major celebration of a female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi, only in 2020."
For decades, major art museums have dramatically underrepresented female artists, exemplified by the Guerrilla Girls' 1989 finding that fewer than 5% of modern art artists were women while 85% of nudes were female. This pattern persisted globally across major galleries. However, 2024 marks a turning point with unprecedented exhibitions of female artists across UK institutions. Tracey Emin has a retrospective at Tate Modern, Rose Wylie becomes the Royal Academy's first female painter with a solo exhibition, and exhibitions feature artists including Beatriz Gonzalez, Chiharu Shiota, Gwen John, Bridget Riley, Frida Kahlo, and Ana Mendieta. Lubaina Himid will represent Britain at Venice Biennale. Historically, major institutions moved slowly: the National Gallery held its first major female artist exhibition in 2020, and the Royal Academy waited until now for a female painter's main gallery show. Public awareness remains limited, with only 30% of surveyed people naming three female artists.
#female-artists-representation #museum-exhibitions #gender-inequality-in-art #contemporary-art-institutions #art-history
Read at www.theguardian.com
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