'Real changes are upon us, and today one can reel off the names of a number of first-rate women artists. Nevertheless, women are just getting started.' –New Yorker
'The headline grabber of 2019 was Phaidon's Great Women Artists.' – British Vogue
'[We] believe every damn day is worthy of celebrating great women, and Great Women Artists makes it easy ... If only all our college art history textbooks were this much fun.' – Interview Magazine
'Phaidon [is] helping to redress the balance with this encyclopaedic volume that examines 500 years of great art by great women artists... no self respecting art lover should be without a copy.' – Culture Whisper
'A wide-ranging collection of exceptional work by women.' – O, The Oprah Magazine
'An epic survey.' – Harper's Bazaar
'Women who have been airbrushed out of art history... are enjoying a renaissance, while contemporary female artists are starting to benefit from re-evaluations.' – Sunday Times
'Female artists have been neglected for so long that their work – even if it was painted 70 years ago – feels new and cutting edge. For collectors, it has the irresistible allure of discovery.' – New York Times
'It's good to see the auction houses finally giving more women a chance. For money is a powerful symbol of cultural worth.' – Economist
'Until very recently ... the idea that women in the West have always made art was rarely cited as a possibility. Yet, they have – and continue to do so – often against tremendous odds.' – Frieze Magazine
'There is a wonderful discovery aspect to this book ... This book not only celebrates women artists, but also demonstrates their resilience and unmatched talent through history.' – Laurent Ciaquin, President of Kering America
'Handsome... A beautiful, richly illustrated volume... A valuable resource for students of art and art history as well as curious general readers... The artists included represent a wide chronological and geographic range [...] the list is impressive... [with many] dynamic and unexpected juxtapositions produced by the book's alphabetical organisation... The texts on each artist are astute and thoughtful. Formal analyses are intertwined with introductions to key art-historical, social and political themes. The offers a panoramic sweep... Its diverse line-up is organised alphabetically rather than chronologically so that lesser-known artists rub shoulders with established superstars.' – Jo Applin, Reader in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Times Literary Supplement
'The book we have been waiting for... Women artists put firmly on the map... Every now and then a book comes out that can change lives. If a survey like this had appeared when I was a student at the Slade, the struggle to make headway as a female artist would have seemed less daunting. We'd have had role models and names with which to counter the assertion that there had never been any significant women artists. And the recent explosion of female talent celebrated in this book might have happened a generation earlier. Phaidon's latest offering is a revelation... This impressive survey spans 500 years... It's incredibly hard to distill a life's work into a few hundred words, but these 23 writers do an excellent job of summarising the salient points... The burgeoning numbers of women now making and exhibiting work is reflected in this selection. Most impressive is the quality and diversity of work... This inspiring book is not just a celebration of women's creativity, it is symptomatic of a sea change... Things they are a-changing - at last. And if anyone has the temerity ever again to claim there have been no great women artists, you will be able to use this timely tome to knock the idea on its head, once and for all.' – Sarah Kent, The Arts Desk
12/06/2019
This encyclopedia-style compendium of artwork from more than 400 female artists, arranged alphabetically by name, covers a wide variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, live performance, music, and dance. Each entry boasts a full-color image accompanied by a paragraph explaining the significance of the piece. These varied summaries represent more than 50 countries spanning the last 500 years, making this an expansive collection. The omission of a few creators—photographer Monica Lozano and painter Adelaide Labille-Guiard—is surprising, but as women have historically been marginalized in the arts, it would be challenging for any book to be entirely comprehensive. The introduction by Phaidon commissioning editor Rebecca Morrill acknowledges this and provides insight into the selection process, stating that "the chief aim [was] to create as varied a representation of art as possible." VERDICT Shedding light on many influential female artists, some of whom have been overlooked in other art literature, this beautiful book is an excellent choice for those interested in expanding their knowledge and discovering "overlooked and undervalued" women in the art world.—Sarah Stimson, Mission Viejo Lib., CA
