An interesting journey through the history of art over the centuries, explaining different examples of women artists of extraordinary quality and importance but of little public relevance today, despite the fact that some of them even achieved great recognition in their historical context. Some of the oldest examples have been exhibited in recent years at the Prado Museum. One of them was the exhibition on Sofonisba Anguissola, which showed the public the life and work of this painter who came to live at the Court of Philip II in the 16th century. Anguissola, along with other artists of her time such as Lavinia Fontana, belongs to that group of notable women in Art during the second half of the 16th century who achieved notoriety among their contemporaries, but whose figures faded over time until they almost disappeared today.
Another example also on display at the Museo del Prado was that of the Flemish painter Clara Peeters, one of the initiators of the still life in the southern Low Countries (now Belgium), who popularised the use of the self-portrait concealed in still-life objects. Many later artists would emulate this approach, although some of his works were erroneously attributed to Frans Haalsa. Her show at El Prado in 2016 made her the first woman painter to feature in a solo exhibition at the Madrid museum. Within the 17th century, the Italian Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman in the Academy of Drawing Arts, a follower of Caravaggio and well known for her religious-themed work. The journey will continue through the Impressionist period, with figures such as the painters Mary Cassat and Berthe Morisot, contemporaries of Renoir and Monet. Moving into the 20th century and the present day, various contemporary names such as Louise Bourgeoise and her giant ants or Eva Hesse, a Jewish artist who fled to New York before the war and then returned to Germany to experiment with liquid latex. Yayoi Kusama, whose collaboration with Luis Vuitton made her a true celebrity in fashion as well as art among others essential names to understand the evolution of the history of art in different disciplines over the last century such as Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Ruth Asawa, Chiharu Shiotta, Beatriz Milhazes, Maruja Mallo, Dora Maar, Barbara Hepworth, Olga Goncharova, Marina Abramovich, Romaine Brooks, Helen Frankenthaler and Judy Chicago. Women artists who, fortunately, are regaining the prominence accredited by the quality of their works in museums and exhibition halls, occupying the place they deserve and which is necessary to contextualise the History of Art in a much more enriching and truthful way.
About Alejandro Carazo
“From my experience and studies in Modern Art, l learned to understand ART as a reflection of Humanity in each moment of History. Artists and their creations open doors to vital aspects, from anthropology to science, through emotions, gifting us with an understanding of the world from spheres we do not usually encounter in our daily lives. Trained by Amelia Arenas, former Head of Education of the MOMA, and thanks to the focus of Bernard and Christine Picasso in the values of Art and Education, I lived a lifetime experience at the Picasso Museum which allowed me to deliver the art world to more than 80k visitors in my 8 years at the institution, becoming an expert in teaching general audiences how to appreciate the artwork from their own personal view and background, meeting oneself in the act of viewing. I nowadays continue to share my art knowledge in private collections and as freelance curator and lecturer. At the same time life has led me to encounter with the no less exciting world of design, curating contemporary design homes where creativity and art play an important role.” Alejandra last talked to in November 2023 when her subject was Andy Warhol.
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