by Katy Hessel
First published 2023
Katy Hessel confronts a glaring problem in art history. The established canon runs from Leonardo da Vinci through Jean-Michel Basquiat, dominated by male artists. Hessel corrects this imbalance by documenting and celebrating women artists across centuries and continents. She examines each historical period and artistic movement through a global perspective, bringing in non-Western creators, queer artists, racially marginalized figures, photographers, and textile workers previously overlooked. Readers encounter Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola and nineteenth-century artist Harriet Powers. The book spans the Dutch Golden Age, postwar Latin American art, and contemporary work from the 2020s. With over 100 color reproductions, Hessel provides a comprehensive alternative history that restores women to their rightful place in the artistic record.
Genres: art, feminism, non-fiction
Vibes: educational, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: alternative-history, restoration
Period: Renaissance, Dutch Golden Age, Postwar Latin America, Contemporary (2020s)
512 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company