Art, like life, is a journey, and journeys can sometimes benefit from a knowledgeable guide. This year brought a wealth of eye-opening, inspiring books by women about women artists. From Renaissance masters to contemporary visionaries, you’ll find both new favorite artists and authors in these pages.
Fidelia Bridges: Nature into Art by Katherine Manthorne
For sheer beauty, look to the American painter Fidelia Bridges (1834-1923). It’s next to impossible not to love her exquisite, detailed and delicate work. Bridges brings nature to life in sublime paintings and illustrations, and Manthorne brings Bridges to life in this thoughtful study of her work. Rich with reproductions, the book discusses the artist’s training, career, successes and beliefs. An independent-minded woman, Bridges was a champion of the rights of women to pursue their dreams, as she did. She traveled widely, exhibited frequently, and was inducted into the National Academy of Design, and her work is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as many others. Bridges had a resurgence of popularity, and prices for her work soared some decades ago. Perhaps Manhorne’s careful study will bring her new fans. The book is part of Lund Huphries’ Northern Lights series, which also includes books on Hudson River School painter, Susie M. Barstow, contemporary artist, Marianne North, and women artists in the reign of Catherine the Great.
Unlocking Women’s Art by P.L. Henderson
Following up on her successful 2022 Unravelling Women’s Art, which focused on female fiber artists, here Henderson presents painters. Gathering stories, images, and interviews, Henderson brings readers in touch with some of history’s most successful and renowned female painters as well as painters working today. Beyond bios and pictures, she also delves into deeper territory. What stories and truths can paintings tell? Societal, personal, and historical factors all come into play in women’s art. How do artists reveal them? Some of the answers are provided by Henderson, while others come from the artists, themselves, in discussions with contemporary women painters.
Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle
If you’re a fan of history, fiction, and women artists, as I am, this novel based on the life of the Italian Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi, hits a literary trifecta. The story begins with the artist as a six-year-old girl, glimpsing greatness in her father’s workshop, anxious to participate, and follows key periods in her development. Gentileschi was one of the rare female Old Masters to achieve significant recognition and commercial success in her lifetime. Yet, despite being sought out and commissioned by some of the most important patrons of the day, she was nonetheless subsequently written out of history, as were so many women artists. The novel reveals how the picture of her fame and accomplishments was painted, as were her works, over a dark background.
Making Their Mark: Art by Women in the Shah Garg Collection edited by Mark Godfrey and Katy Siegel
Who doesn’t love a gorgeous coffee-table tome? Fill it with works by women artists, and I’m sold. Husband and wife collectors Gaurav Garg and Komal Shah spent years searching for and discovering the best women artists practicing today. Their Shah Garg Foundation is dedicated to supporting women artists and educating the public. Through January 27th, you can see the groundbreaking exhibition, “Making Their Mark,” comprised of highlights of their collection. It’s on view at 548 West 22nd Street in New York (the former home of Dia Chelsea). The exhibition’s checklist includes a who’s who of 20th and 21st century greats like Emma Amos, Miriam Schapiro, Faith Ringgold, Lenore Tawney, and Lynda Benglis. But to have these remarkable works at the tips of your fingers, get a copy of the lavishly illustrated book based on the exhibition. In it, you’ll find the works of dozens of international women along with thoughtful commentary and enlightening artist essays. It’s one to savor and share.
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