Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? by Linda Nochlin

Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? by Linda Nochlin was one of the first essays about feminist art history. At first, feminists battled the concept of this book by listing underappreciated women artists, but the sad truth is that there have been no female equivalents of Picasso, Michelangelo, Monet, or Andy Warhol. But once that fact is established the question becomes why?  

When Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists was originally published in 1971 it was a completely absurd idea to say that there have been no great women artists not because of a lack of potential for women to reach greatness, but because exclusive institutions mediate individual successes. Nochlin points out that you can copy and paste any minority or discriminated group in for women and have a valid question. Why have there been no great transgender artists? Why have there been no great Native American artists? Why have there been no great ________ artists?  It is important to realize that Nochlin is not stating that there have not been great artists that fit into these minority groups, but that if you asked anyone to name a famous artist they would likely name a list of white men. Although each of these questions is greatly important, we will be focusing on the question of why have there been no great woman artists.

Let us start in the Renaissance, a time of great artistic achievement. Now I challenge you to list a few great artists from that time. You might have said Leanardo, Raphael, or Donatello, but I bet you could not think of a single woman. At the time women were expected to be nothing more than a support for men’s endeavors. Women who prioritized work over child-rearing and marriage were social outcasts. But some women still fought to become artists despite society making it unfairly difficult for them. Women who chose to pursue their dreams of being an artist had to take the first step of getting into an art school. Unfortunately, getting into an art school as a woman was nearly impossible. Even if she managed to she would not be given the same opportunities as a man.

These works of art were all created by Renaissance women. The image was found here.

Most women artists of the time were undervalued and men took credit for much of their art. Women who were mildly successful at the time were often related to successful male artists. Aspiring women artists who did not have an artist father or brother were likely out of luck. The image above is a collection of Renaissance art made by women. Do you recognize any of the paintings? I didn't.

To be a great artist in the Renaissance you must have been able to paint the nude figure. At the time it would have been obscene for a woman to attend an art class with a nude model. On the contrary, women were objectified as nude models themselves. Double standards effectively excluded women from the art scene. This exclusion would persist throughout the ages.

Later on, art schools accepted women, but they were expected to portray “femininity” in their art. This concept often prevented women from representing their authentic selves in their art and restricted them to painting flowers. 

Although there have been far fewer famous woman artists it is important to acknowledge that women have created great art however underappreciated it may be. Here is a list of great women artists that are worth a search.

• Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842)

• Mary Cassatt (1844–1926)

• Hannah Höch (1889–1978) 

• Frida Kahlo (1907–1954)

• Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010)

• Georgia O'Keeffe (1887–1986) 

• Yayoi Kusama (born 1929)

• Cindy Sherman (born 1954)

Thank you for reading!

Sasha