Twenty-five years ago, the UK made the bold and generous gesture of making its national museums free to all. Suddenly, anyone from anywhere in the world could gaze at iconic works of art by the greatest artists in history without having to pay a penny.
For her debut book, The Story of Art Without Men, Hessel drew on decades of feminist literature, as well as her own insights from posting daily tributes to women artists on her popular Instagram account, The Great Women Artists, and from interviewing artists on The Great Women Artists Podcast, to reimagine the art historical canon entirely around women. An instant Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, the book earned her numerous awards,
I think it first comes out of my natural inclination to work in many different mediums. Growing up and looking at [the work of] Henri Matisse and Andy Warhol, my understanding of a masterful artist was an artist who evolved their practice through experimentation with different mediums. When I knew I wanted to be an artist, I aspired to have a career in which each body of work propels my practice forward.