The Gender Divide in Art: Women Artists Then and Now

Does being a man or a woman change the way the public looks at an artist's work, and the credibility it is given? As a woman painter, I can't help asking myself the question. Art history already gives part of the answer.

Women artists: centuries of obstacles

For a very long time, women artists faced barriers that men never had to think about: social expectations, institutional bias, and far fewer chances to train, exhibit and sell. Many talents were pushed aside, and many contributions were simply forgotten. Some women still made their way.

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–c. 1656) faced open discrimination as a woman, and yet became one of the most renowned painters of her time. Proof, if any were needed, that talent has no gender.

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895), a leading figure of Impressionism, had to work her way around the stereotypes of her era. Her body of work remains a lesson in perseverance.

Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889–1943), a pioneer of Dada and of abstract art, moved freely between painting, sculpture and design, and opened the way for many women in abstraction.

Lee Krasner (1908–1984) was Jackson Pollock's wife, and her own work was long overshadowed by his. She is now recognised as a major figure of Abstract Expressionism in her own right.

Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) turned her personal struggles into works full of emotion and symbols, which still speak to us today.

The privilege of being a man

On the other side, being a male artist has often come with more visibility, more financial support and a kind of automatic credibility. Think of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) or Andy Warhol (1928–1987): we readily call them geniuses. Even Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), who struggled so much in his lifetime, became a legend after his death. These stories have fed the idea that creative authority is naturally male, and that idea has reinforced inequality in the art world.

What is changing today

Fortunately, minds are changing. Feminist movements and the fight for equality have shaken the old norms, and more and more women artists are getting the visibility they deserve. Tracey Emin and her raw, introspective work, Yayoi Kusama and her bold installations, Kara Walker, who confronts questions of race, gender and sexuality: each in her own way is reshaping the art world.

Judging the work, not the artist's gender

For me, it is simple: every artist deserves to be judged on the quality of their work, whatever their gender. Showing more women artists in galleries, supporting diverse voices, simply being curious: there are many ways to make the art world fairer. It is a little like the other debate I explored, between trained and self-taught artists: in the end, it is the work that should speak.

And you, what concrete steps do you think would help? I would love to read your thoughts: write to me on WhatsApp.

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See you soon,

Lenon B

Contemporary painter, Ericeira, Portugal