We'd like to see more art by women in our galleries

[ArtforallbyallwithArtActivistBarbie]

Hello all
If you went into a number of our public galleries you could be forgiven for thinking that only white men ever painted in the past, and like all of us who have thought that, you'd be wrong! Even in the middle ages, women painted, and as the centuries went by, more and more women fought against the odds to paint.

In the National Gallery, of 1056 paintings on display, do you know how many are by women?

Eight. Yes Eight. Less than 1%

At the moment, government places no requirement on the galleries they fund to address inequalities in their collections. ArtActivistBarbie and ArtforAllbyAll are trying to change this.

Please please help us persuade them by signing our petition!

https://www.change.org/ArtByEveryone

It was great, for those of a certain age it was a grown up “Vision On”/”Take Hart”, and the context of all the artwork, particularly the first series, was the early days of the pandemic and lockdown. It was a huge insight into people’s perceptions of what was going on, through all their creative output. It was on channel 4 if you have access to their streaming services.

Eg I would have a different response to a painting if you told me that the painter used their mouth or feet because they do not have the use of their hands, because part of my emotional response will be admiration and wondering how the heck they did it.

Yes.

Check out these artists :

shop.scope.org.uk/pages/about-our-artists

At the same time I'd advocate for art by a wide range of artists to be shown in galleries without any background, as that's true inclusion. But, context or provenance is part and parcel of art.

@MyLadyDisdainlsYetLiving wrote: "While a lot of art such as fine portraits or sculptures are judged and admired because of their technical merits, I now prefer to consider art as something creative that provokes a reaction".

There is plenty of merit in that. But I think the OP IS concerned with art that does wexist not being displayed as part of the historical record. The points about women not having opportunities to train in technical detail; or working in transient media; or producing great art anonymously; all those are lost from history.

Why is this thread being derailed about a male artist?
Why are people talking about Grayson Perry here?
Even he calls himself a man in a dress.
This is a thread about needing more public recognition of women artists.

Oh, my word, thank you! I had no idea this existed! I will make a determined effort to visit. Wonderful.

OP, sounds like a really interesting campaign. Is there a newsletter, or something?

I’m agreeing with OP, I’m not sure I’m following this post if it’s aimed at me.

Why aren't the beautiful tapestries and other textiles women produced displayed in galleries as artworks?

There was a fantastic group exhibition of female abstract artists at the Whitechapel earlier this year. Called Action, Gesture, Paint. It’s in Arles over the summer at the Van Gogh foundation, so if you are in the South of France it will definitely be worth a look:

https://www.fondation-vincentvangogh-arles.org/en/exposition/brouillon-auto-2/

I like all kinds of art, but the sort of oil paintings and technically advanced drawing techniques using materials that can survive for centuries, done by women, is important. It's that which is absent from the National Gallery.

When we think about it in those terms, that's a different conversation than displaying tapestry and small personal works.

This might interest you - it’s an essay on the Art UK website (which aims to record every artwork available to public view in the country) about the 8 women who ARE on show at the National Gallery:

https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-eight-women-artists-of-the-national-gallery

Plus Paula Rego at the moment - making it 9 out of more than a thousand.

It was great, for those of a certain age it was a grown up “Vision On”/”Take Hart”, and the context of all the artwork, particularly the first series, was the early days of the pandemic and lockdown

I will have to chase it up. I really enjoyed Philip Mould’s Art in Isolation and was impressed that a number of the pieces he collected were by women artists.

Thanks @Joyous

As someone who loves art and did GCSE, the idea that we should be encouraging more children to take art is bonkers.

Taking it at A-Level and beyond limits your choices. We do not need more people doing it. But it's a wonderful talent to have.

Not to disparage sausage's opinion but they can close their eyes, both literally and metaphorically, to work from female artists if they choose. Their views are irrelevant to the facts regarding the exclusion of female artists from galleries.

Thanks for the petition and for all that you do OP.

If anyone goes to Dulwich for Berthe Morisot, they also have a room of Mary Beale portraits from the later 17th century. She made the money by painting and her husband supported her in doing so.

'What we are told is 'great art' is hugely governed by what the directors of public galleries and acquisition committees decide to buy. When we don't see paintings by women, I hold them far more responsible than a medieval guild for women's under representation in public galleries.'

Exactly, which is what we're trying to do with our petition.
It's amazing that galleries funded by the dept of Culture media and sport are not required to address inequality in representation. Galleries funded by the Arts Council, however, are. We want DCMS to change their policy, so if you care about this, and it looks like many of you do, please do sign the petition!
https://www.change.org/ArtByEveryone

Great thread, which has inspired me to get up to the National Portrait Gallery soon.

On the subject of boys (and girls?) taking art at A-Level and beyond, there was an interesting report a few years ago which found that a fine-art degree was the only degree that had a negative impact on post-graduation earnings. You were less employable for having studied it!

I will look for the link.

OP, sounds like a really interesting campaign. Is there a newsletter, or something?

Thanks! We have a website www.artforallbyall.org and we're on Twitter @ art for all by all and @ barbie reports
And we're keeping everyone updated via the petition site

I really enjoyed Philip Mould’s Art in Isolation and was impressed that a number of the pieces he collected were by women artists.

Yes, he did a great exhibition last summer of Sarah Biffin, previously pretty unknown. https://philipmould.com/exhibitions/31-without-hands-the-art-of-sarah-biffin/ Private collectors like him could have a huge impact on creating markets for women artists.

Something about the leisure activities of the wealthy not paying well.
Or that people in (I guess the UK) don't value the work of young living artists. That's a problem across the arts - music, literature, dance, theatre, but maybe art is worse.

For those interested in women’s art, that haven’t come across it, I recommend women’s art on twitter - can’t link as MN is seeing it as error so will need to search under “at..womensart1”
all media
all centuries
really nice stream

what twitter can be at its best…

Dulwich Picture Gallery has an exhibition of works by the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot currently. Very worth visiting.