The Story of Art Without Men

October 1, 2022

An art historian who founded Instagram's @thegreatwomenartists and the podcast of the same name, Hessel celebrates too often little-known women artists from the 14th to the 21st centuries, ranging from late Renaissance court painter Sofonisba Anguissola to Harriet Powers, a folk artist and quilt maker enslaved from birth in the United States. Along the way, readers will encounter non-Western, queer, and marginalized artists, textile workers and photographers, and more.

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Starred review from May 22, 2023
Overlooked female artists take their rightful place in the pantheon in art historian Hessel’s magisterial debut. Beginning with the Renaissance, Hessel covers “significant shifts or moments” in mostly Western art history, including the French Revolution and how its refounded artists’ academies, which had been rid of aristocratic associations, enabled an “influx of middle class female artists.” Elsewhere, Hessel profiles the post-WWI birth of Dadaism and how its “fearless” female adherents such as German Hannah Höch, known for her political collages, and multidisciplinary Swiss artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp were “unafraid to poke fun at political figures and caricature their male contemporaries.” Sections on the 19th century cover female contributors to movements such as impressionism and surrealism, and discuss key themes, including civil rights art and queer art. While Hessel touches on the barriers that kept female artists from mainstream success, she devotes most of the book to analyzing their works, contending, for example, that 20th-century Welsh-born painter Sylvia Sleigh “repossess the male-dominated” conventions of art history by depicting “men in provocative and Venus-like poses.” Hessel makes room for an impressively wide array of art forms, including fiber works and quilting, and is careful to situate her subjects within social and political contexts, instead of framing them as “the wife of, the muse of, the model of” more celebrated male contemporaries. The result is a vital and necessary corrective. Photos.

Starred review from March 15, 2023
An indispensable primer on the history of art, with an exclusive focus on women. Prominent 19th-century art critic John Ruskin once proclaimed, "the woman's intellect is not for invention or creation, but for sweet ordering, arrangement, and decision," and traces of this misguided and malignant sentiment can still be found over a century later in art institutions around the world. A 2019 study found that "in the collections of eighteen major US art museums, 87 percent of artworks were by men, and 85 percent by white artists." There's a lot to be mad about, but London-based art historian Hessel nimbly pivots that energy into a constructive, revelatory project. This book is not a mere rebuttal to the aforementioned discrimination; deftly researched, the text reveals an alternate history of centuries of artistic movements. With palpable excitement, the author shifts the focus from widely known male participants to the unsung female players of the time. Art aficionados will delight in Hessel's sleight of hand and marvel at her wide, inclusive reach. Spanning from Baroque art to the present day, she effortlessly removes "the clamour of men" and, in a series of short biographical profiles, shapes a historical arc that still feels grounded even without a familiar male presence. Art history must "reset," Hessel writes, and she positions her book as an important first step in that reconfiguration. While the author progresses mostly movement by movement, her broader tangents are particularly profound. One of many highlights is a generous overview of queer artists of the Weimar era. Hessel is occasionally uneven with how much content she allots each artist, and some perfunctory profiles feel like the result of trying to highlight as many names as possible. Nonetheless, even the shortest gloss provides enough intrigue to be a successful introduction to an artist who might otherwise be forgotten. An overdue upending of art historical discourse.

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Starred review from June 9, 2023

The fine arts have long suffered gender imbalance, with women often excluded from academies, galleries, and the traditional canon. In this title, London-based art historian and curator Hessel combines the upbeat appeal of her podcast The Great Women Artists with solid scholarship to spotlight a diverse cast of women artists from the 16th century to the present who threw off constraints, broke new ground, and made exciting work. Although she follows a conventional timeline from the Renaissance through the contemporary art scene, Hessel casts a wide net, with forays into themes from Spiritualist art to textiles to Afrofuturism, and consistent attention paid to political and cultural contexts. Hessel provides a lively brief of each woman's life, work, and background, along with an intriguing image or two that will whet readers' interest to discover more. Artists range from well-known to obscure; even the most seasoned art enthusiast, educator, or scholar will find surprises. An index of books, articles, and exhibitions offers useful jumping-off points, as does Hessel's podcast. VERDICT A good-looking, valuable addition to general or fine art collections in any public, academic, or school library, this engaging overview shines a light both entertaining and erudite on a critical half of the art world.--Lisa Peet

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