Women Artists: An Illustrated History
As the Los Angeles Times noted, this is an "attractive, eventempered survey of American and European women artists from the Renaissance to the present."\ Firmly established as one of the premier histories of women in the fine arts, Nancy G. Heller's Women Artists returns in an expanded fourth edition. Its lavish illustrations—all the artists' works are reproduced in large-format color—and documentary pictures of many of the artists make this one of the most accessible and useful studies of...
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As the Los Angeles Times noted, this is an "attractive, eventempered survey of American and European women artists from the Renaissance to the present."Firmly established as one of the premier histories of women in the fine arts, Nancy G. Heller's Women Artists returns in an expanded fourth edition. Its lavish illustrations—all the artists' works are reproduced in large-format color—and documentary pictures of many of the artists make this one of the most accessible and useful studies of women in the arts. Dr. Heller's lively text provides an overview of the obstacles that women have encountered, emphasizing the ways that women artists have ingeniously circumvented them, inventing new forms and bringing a distinctive perspective to traditional subjects. With coverage of the 1990s and the beginning of the new millenium, nearly half the volume is now devoted to the remarkable period from 1960 to the present, when women artists emerged as the most dynamic force in contemporary art. New to this edition are innovative U.S. figures including sculptor and performance artist Janine Antoni and photographer Renee Cox, as well as major international artists including Iran's Shirin Neshat, Shahzia Sikander from Pakistan, British painter Fiona Rae, and the Icelandic sculptor and performance artist Katrin Sigurdardottir. Other details: 220 illustrations, 160 in full color Author Biography: Nancy G. Heller is Professor of Art History at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Dr. Heller has published numerous articles on the visual and performing arts; her most recent bookss are Women Artists: Works from the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the forthcoming Why a Painting Is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern Art. She has received awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution, and the American Association of University Women.Washington Post - Camille PagliaThe last 20 years of scholarship have brought many forgotten women artists to attention, but too often their presentation has been marred by anachronistic feminist rhetoric. Nancy G. Heller's lucid, evenhanded Women Artists is a noteworthy exception.
PrefaceIntroduction 1. The Renaissance 2. The Seventeenth Century 3. The Eighteenth Century 4. The Nineteenth Century 5. The Early Twentieth Century 6. Mid-Century to the Mid-1980s 7. The Late 1980s to the 1990s 8. The New Century Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index
\ Camille PagliaThe last 20 years of scholarship have brought many forgotten women artists to attention, but too often their presentation has been marred by anachronistic feminist rhetoric. Nancy G. Heller's lucid, evenhanded Women Artists is a noteworthy exception. \ — Washington Post\ \ \ \ \ Los Angeles TimesAn "attractive, even tempered survey of American and European women artists from the Renaissance to the present."\ \ \ Publishers WeeklyThis edition scans the oft-neglected contributions of women to Western art since the Renaissance and includes a new chapter on the 1980s featuring Laurie Anderson, Rebecca Horn, Rocio Maldonado and others. PW said of the hardcover, ``Engrossing . . . among the histories of women artists currently available, this one stands out for its unsurpassed color reproductions.'' (Oct.)\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalWritten in a straightforward style, this survey of women artists from the Renaissance to the present is accessible to readers with knowledge of art history. The text consists of brief biographical sketches and accounts of the careers of 125 women artists. The personal and professional obstacles faced by these women are a unifying theme. One or occasionally two works by each artist are illustrated by good color photographs. Although the presentations are short and often superficial, this book can serve as a reference or an introduction to the work of major women artists. Suitable for high school students and general readers. Kathryn W. Finkelstein, M.L.S., Cincinnati\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalYA None of the three major surveys of art history (Jansen, Gardner, Hartt) pays adequate attention to women artists of note. Heller's book is a successful attempt to begin to remedy this gap in basic information available to lay readers about women painters and sculptors since the Renaissance. Organized in six chapters by century, the survey provides brief biographical information, some critical analysis and context, and at least one color plate of the work of 125 women artists who lived and worked in Europe or North America between the 16th Century and the 1980s. Although the prose suffers from the problems inherent in a survey texttoo much information too quickly presentedthat problem is also a strength of the volume. Readers will be fascinated to discover these relatively obscure but competent or great artists who remained unknown because they were women. The book is well designed, a pleasure to hold and read, and an excellent resource for students interested in expanding their understanding of art history. Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire\ \
