In the past and present, the role of women in art has taken many forms. Originally, the history of art was a history of men. In other words, women were either not involved in art at all or only in subordinate areas. Women were depicted as muses and nude models in artists' studios, served as maids, and acted as sources of inspiration.
Artworks by female artists receive much less attention and are purchased less frequently than those by male artists. This is evident in any museum of modern and contemporary art. The fact that women make up half of humanity is not enough to ensure that only a few female artists ever receive accolades in museums. The inequality between genders is also glaring in the art market, where works by women are cheaper than those by the much more numerous male art stars. At the high end of the price scale, women are completely absent.
First Woman in the German Art Scene: Marie Ellenrieder
For many decades, there were women who lived exclusively for their profession against the ideal of society. One of them was Marie Ellenrieder (1791–1863): in 1813, at the age of 22, she became the first woman to secure a place to study at the German Academy of Art in Munich.
For a long time, women were excluded from professional artistic training. In Germany, women have only been allowed to study at state art colleges since 1919 when their equality became legally binding with the Weimar Constitution.
"The fact that a woman can have original, genuine talent and be a creative person is often forgotten," wrote Gabriele Münter in her diary in 1926. From New York to Berlin to Basel: about two-thirds of all galleries represent more men than women. According to a study by the Tate Modern Museum in London, only five percent of professional dealers pay attention to a balanced gender ratio.
Successful Admission of Women to Art Academies in the 18th Century
Even in the Middle Ages, there were women engaged in artistic activities, not to mention the great exceptional female artists of the 16th and 17th centuries in Italy and the Netherlands. In the 18th century, female artists more or less successfully fought for the admission of women to academies. The path to the 19th century, the century of upheaval, emancipation, and social revolution, was prepared. The art of the 19th century is characterized by two major tendencies: on the one hand, a return to and copying of great masters and entire epochs, and on the other hand, the roots of modernity can be found at the beginning of this century. Austrian artists like Tina Blau-Lang (1845–1916), Marie Egner (1850–1940), or Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844–1926) are examples of this modernity, not only representing the new art trend of mood impressionism but also the repositioning of women, who were honored, exhibited, and traded during their lifetimes.
51% of the Art Scene are Women
"Feminism" was the American word of the year in 2017. Worldwide, women are joining forces and demonstrating for their rights. The hashtag MeToo even became the Person of the Year in 2017. Female solidarity is currently being emphasized. But does this also apply to the art market? According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, the largest art museum in the world dedicated solely to female artists, 51 percent of all artists are currently women. However, in the art market, where the big money is, they still form a minority.
"We have some women, but if you count it, it's only about a third," says Anke Schmidt, who regularly participates in art fairs like Art Basel or Art Cologne with her gallery in southern Cologne. She represents internationally renowned artists: painters, sculptors, photographers. Most of them are male. A strategic decision? "No, I didn't pay attention to that," she says when asked. "If you make the topic very conscious, you realize there is an imbalance, and I noticed that in my gallery as well." Statistics from galleries worldwide show that about 75-80% of artists are men, and it is estimated that only 5% of the major permanent collections worldwide are by female artists.
Women were initially not admitted to art guilds and academies. The centuries-long exclusion from such institutions led to women being "deprived of the opportunity to create significant works of art" (Harris, 2001). Secondly, history painting was the most renowned genre in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
Most Famous Woman of the Italian Renaissance: Lucrezia Borgia
Within the elite circles, women received more opportunities to be somewhat equal to men, at least on an intellectual level. An excellent example of this is Lucrezia Borgia, perhaps the most famous woman of the Italian Renaissance thanks to contemporary media. During a time of cultural awakening under humanistic values, she enjoyed a privileged status as an elite. Although the Renaissance is considered a time of universal rebirth, the situation of women in the Italian Renaissance did not change profoundly compared to the Middle Ages.
Surprisingly, the mentioned universal rebirth did not significantly impact the status of women, as their rights were still minimal by today's standards. However, some influential wives impacted politics, economics, and culture through their involvement.
An interesting constant of the Italian Renaissance is that intellect became a weapon for women, which they could use to their advantage in various ways. The livelihood of women in the Italian Renaissance largely depended on their social status. As farmers, they worked the fields and managed the household with their husbands. As wives of middle-class merchants, they ran businesses with their husbands and managed the household. If they had a higher status, their lives revolved exclusively around the household, spending time on domestic activities like sewing, entertaining, and cooking.
All these women, despite their different statuses, were dependent on a particular household, a theme that runs through the Renaissance when it comes to the role of women. In fact, some changes occurred in the Renaissance, especially in Italy: women could profile themselves as art patrons, writers, speakers, and generally as women of intellect. This only happened, however, when circumstances and opportunities allowed it. From this perspective, the role of women extended beyond the household.
Other Notable Female Artists:
Sources: