Women in Art

and Women Artists

Sofonisba Anguissola

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Frida Kahlo

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Lady Dai

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Lady K'abal Xook

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Artemisia Gentileschi

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Queen Elizabeth I

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Eleanora di Toledo

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Lady Sak K'uk'

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Sofonisba Anguissola • Frida Kahlo • Lady Dai • Lady K'abal Xook • Artemisia Gentileschi • Queen Elizabeth I • Eleanora di Toledo • Lady Sak K'uk' •

A painting depicting two women in dramatic lighting, one holding a sword. The woman in the foreground is gesturing with her hand, while the other looks up at her. There's a lit candle and a book on a table behind them. The painting has a gold ornate frame.

Highlighting the role of women in art and women artists from prehistory to the present moment

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The Blood Queen from Edzná, the Maya ruler Lady Ixb’aah Pahk
The Blood Queen from Edzná, the Maya ruler Lady Ixb’aah Pahk

In this video, we focus on Lady Ixb'aah Pahk', a ruler of the Maya city-state of Edzná in Campeche, Mexico.

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Jade Burial Suits of the Han Dynasty | Princess Dou Wan and Prince Liu Sheng
Jade Burial Suits of the Han Dynasty | Princess Dou Wan and Prince Liu Sheng

Explore the jade burial suits found in imperial Western Han dynasty tombs in ancient China.

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Leonora Carrington, Kitchen Garden on the Eyot and Surrealism in Mexico
Leonora Carrington, Kitchen Garden on the Eyot and Surrealism in Mexico

Modern surrealist artist Leonora Carrington often turned to alchemy, magic, mythical creatures, the occult, folklore, fairy tales, and more.

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Anna Atkins and Cyanotypes
Anna Atkins and Cyanotypes

Some of the earliest forms of photography didn't need a camera.

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Francisco de Zurbarán's Saint Lucy and Spanish Baroque Realism
Francisco de Zurbarán's Saint Lucy and Spanish Baroque Realism

Francisco de Zurbarán's Saint Lucy is a notable example of Spanish Baroque realism from 1625–30.

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Frida Kahlo's Viva la Vida (Long Live Life)—Her Final Painting
Frida Kahlo's Viva la Vida (Long Live Life)—Her Final Painting

Frida Kahlo’s final painting, Viva la Vida, is a powerful symbol of life’s celebration.

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Lady K'abal Xook (Lady Xoc) on Lintel 25 from Yaxchilán
Lady K'abal Xook (Lady Xoc) on Lintel 25 from Yaxchilán

The ancient Maya queen Lady K’abal Xook (Lady Xoc) of Yaxchilan appears on three of the most famous examples of Maya art (and Mesoamerican art!), including Lintel 25. Find out why!

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Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper
Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper

This video examines Elizabeth Catlett's powerful linocut print, "Sharecropper," created after her move to Mexico City in 1946 to work at the Taller de Gráfica Popular.

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Lady Sak K'uk', Queen of Palenque
Lady Sak K'uk', Queen of Palenque

Who is the ancient Maya queen Lady Sak K’uk’ of Palenque?

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Eleanora di Toledo, Duchess of Florence
Eleanora di Toledo, Duchess of Florence

In a spectacular portrait of Eleonora di Toledo, the second Duchess of Florence, she sits beside her young son Giovanni.

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Introduction to Crowned Nun Portraits (monjas coronadas)
Introduction to Crowned Nun Portraits (monjas coronadas)

Some of the most famous 18th-century colonial Mexican paintings are the stunning monjas coronadas (crowned nuns).

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Famous paintings everyone should know: Miguel Cabrera’s Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Famous paintings everyone should know: Miguel Cabrera’s Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

It's a painting everyone should know but probably doesn't! The portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was painted by the most famous artist of New Spain (colonial Mexico) in the 18th century.

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Close looking at abstract art | Olga Albizu's 900-50-80
Close looking at abstract art | Olga Albizu's 900-50-80

How should we understand an abstract painting like Olga Albizu’s 900-50-80 from 1978?

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Close Looking at surrealist artist Leonora Carrington's Self-Portrait with Rocking Horse
Close Looking at surrealist artist Leonora Carrington's Self-Portrait with Rocking Horse

Is that a hyena, a rocking horse, and monster claws?

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Leonora Carrington, Self-Portrait with Rocking Horse
Leonora Carrington, Self-Portrait with Rocking Horse

Looking Closely at Carrington’s Self-Portrait

If we look closely at Leonora Carrington's painting, we notice curious and surreal details. This video practices the skill of close looking. It also discusses Carrington's choices to create this dreamlike, fantastic painting.

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Miguel Cabrera, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, c. 1750
Miguel Cabrera, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, c. 1750

It's a painting everyone should know but probably doesn't! The portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was painted by the most famous artist of New Spain (colonial Mexico) in the 18th century.

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The Ancient World

c. 3000 BCE–500 CE

Funeral banner of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui), 2nd century BCE, silk, 205 x 92 x 47.7 cm, found in Tomb 1 at Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan Province. Hunan Provincial Museum, Changsha.

VIDEO: Lady Dai's Funeral Banner and Tomb in Ancient China

a suit made of jade and golden thread.

VIDEO: Dou Wan’s Jade Burial Suit

Discover more about the Ancient World

The Medieval World

c. 500–1500 CE

Women in the Ancient Maya World

Ancient carved stone panel with intricate designs displayed in a museum exhibit.

A stela of Maya Queen, Ix Mutal Ahaw

A relief sculpture shows a woman holding a bowl with a serpent rising behind her

Lady Ik' Skull / Lady Eveningstar of Yaxchilán

A green mask of a woman covers her face

The Red Queen of Palenque / Lady Ix Tz'akbu Ajaw

Ancient stone carving depicting two human figures, one taller with a headdress and holding a staff, the other shorter and kneeling, with detailed geometric patterns surrounding them.

Bloodletting and Lady K'abal Xook from Yaxchilán

Ancient stone carvings depicting a dragon-like creature, humans, and other symbolic figures with elaborate details and patterns.

More about Lady K'abal Xook (Xoc)

an oval relief sculpture shows a woman handing a feathered crown to a man on a throne

Lady Sak K’uk’ of Palenque, queen and Pakal’s mother

Discover more about the ancient Maya world
An ancient carved stone disc with figures and symbols, depicting a scene with two human-like figures, one holding a small object and the other with decorative attire, surrounded by circular and geometric carvings.

The Blood Queen of Edzná, Lady Ixb’aah Pahk

Women in Medieval Europe

A medieval illuminated manuscript illustration depicting crowned women, two in red and two in blue. One woman in blue is exchanging a book, while another cuts and shapes bricks outside a brick wall.

Christine de Pizan and the Book of the City of Ladies

Ancient carved stone depicting two abstract bird figures facing each other against a dark background.

COMING SOON: Whalebone plaque from a Norse woman’s burial

Discover more about the medieval Europe

The Early Modern Period

c. 1500–1800 CE

A classical painting depicting a woman in a Renaissance-style dress holding a small unicorn. The woman is sitting in front of an outdoor backdrop with pillars and a landscape view. The painting is framed in an ornate, gold-colored frame.

Europe

Rapahel's Lady with a Unicorn and female portraiture

Baroque painting depicting two women, one holding a sword and another wearing a headscarf, near a lit candle on a table.

Adding drama to painting: Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith

Francis Delaram, Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1618, engraving, published in Baziliwlogia: A Booke of Kings (London, 1618). Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth I, Queen of England, holding a scepter

Still life painting of assorted fruits including apples, pears, peaches, grapes, and melons arranged on a table in front of a dark background.

Fede Galizia and Still-Life Painting

A framed still life painting of a vibrant bouquet of various flowers in a dark vase, with a background featuring classical columns and architectural elements, mounted on a green wall.

Rachel Ruysch and Still-Life Painting

Painting of a woman with a lace collar, holding a painter's brush, with another painter in the background.

Self-portraiture and Judith Leyster

portrait of eleanora di toledo with her young son

Eleanora di Toledo, Duchess of Florence

A portrait of a woman dressed in an elaborate, ornate white gown decorated with flowers and pearls, holding a fan, with a dark cloudy sky background and a map of America at her feet.

COMING SOON: Portraits of Elizabeth I, Queen of England

Discover more about early modern Europe
Miguel Cabrera, Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, c. 1750, oil on canvas. Museo Nacional de Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico

North America

Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Nun, Author, Genius

a woman looks at us wearing a floral crown and veil

Crowned nuns: Portrait of Mother Ana María of the Precious Blood of Christ

Portrait of a woman in 18th-century attire sitting with hands resting on her lap, framed in an ornate gold frame, against a background of draped fabric.

COMING SOON: Portrait of Doña María de la Luz Padilla y Gómez y Cervantes, by Miguel Cabrera

Discover more about the Americas

The Modern Era

c. 1800–present

The Americas

La Casa Azul, Coyoacán, Mexico City. Now, the Museo Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo's Blue House (La Casa Azul)

Leonora Carrington, Self-Portrait, c. 1937–38, oil on canvas, 25 9/16 × 32 in. (65 × 81.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Close looking at Leonora Carrington's Self-Portrait

An abstract painting in warm colors like yellow that is Olga Albizu's 900-50-80

Looking closely at Olga Albizu's 900-50-80

A stylized portrait of an elderly woman wearing a large hat with a textured band, depicted in a woodcut style with bold black lines and yellow highlights.

Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper

Illustration of a Siamese cat lying on its back on a red and patterned background. The cat has blue eyes, dark points on ears, face, paws, and tail, and white fur on the body.

COMING SOON: Beth van Hoesen, Bugs

Painting depicting three women in medieval attire, a dove, a landscape with trees, hills, and fields, and sunset lighting.

Leonora Carrington, Kitchen Garden on the Eyot

Colorful still life painting of various watermelons, some sliced open showing red flesh and black seeds, on a dark surface with a blue sky background. Some watermelons have a note with the words "VIVA LA VIDA" and additional Spanish writing.

Frida Kahlo, Viva la Vida

A surrealist painting of a woman in a yellow dress standing at the top of a staircase with a floating pipe and smoke above her head, surrounded by floating faces and a dark, textured background.

Remedios Varo, The Call (La Llamada)

Europe

White leaf skeletons of Bryopsis plumosa on a blue background with the scientific name label at the bottom.

Anna Atkins, cyanotype of algae

Asia

A smiling sun appears next to a blue mountain with running red lava, which is a print by Yayoi Kusama called Where the Universe and Human Life Are

Close looking at Yayoi Kusama, Where the Universe and Human Life Are

Discover more about the modern world
A traditional Japanese print depicting two figures seated on the tatami mat, engaged in conversation inside a room with sliding paper doors, a bonsai tree, and scrolls with Japanese calligraphy on the walls.

Suzuki Harunobu, Osen and Ofuji

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