Looking for Art: Women Painters
A curated list of amazing women artists to watch. Plus a special event invite for paid subscribers.
Today is the last day of Women’s History month, and while supporting women artists isn’t something that should be limited to just one month I’d like to think of it as an extra excuse to highlight some amazing painters.
Below, I’ve rounded up a list of must-see exhibitions and artists worth following (or better yet, collecting). Because visiting museum and gallery shows and purchasing artwork by women are two great ways to ensure female voices continue to shape the art world, not just in March, but always.
Top 10 Museum Exhibitions by Women Artists You Can’t Miss This Year
Cecily Brown: Themes and Variations
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
On view: March 9–May 25, 2025Tracey Emin: Sex and Solitude
Palazzo Strozzi, Florence
On view: March 16–July 20, 2025Amy Sherald: American Sublime
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
On view: April 9—August 10, 2025Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective
SFMOMA, San Francisco (also traveling to MoMA, New York; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; Fondation Beyeler, Basel)
On view: April 5–September 2, 2025Artemisia’s Strong Women: Rescuing a Masterpiece
Getty Center, Los Angeles
On view: June 10–September 14, 2025Mildred Thompson: Frequencies
Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
On view: May 10–October 12, 2025Lygia Clark: Retrospective
Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
On view: May 23–October 12, 2025Lorna Simpson: Source Notes
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
On view: May 19–November 2, 2025Barbara Kruger
Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain
On view: June 19–November 9, 2025Tamara de Lempicka Retrospective
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
On view: September 2025–March 2026
A Few Women Artists You Should Know (and Collect) Right Now
Elena Rivera-Montanes @ Painters Painting Paintings
Scoop: Can’t stop thinking about this. Light, movement, and reflection. It really has it all. Rivera-Montanes has a way of capturing fleeting moments with a delicacy that feels effortless but is anything but.
Wild Goose Chase, 2025 | Oil on Basswood panel | 25.5 cm x 20.5 cm
£1,000
Beatrice Meoni, Fumo, 2025 @ Cardelli & Fontana
Scoop: I’ve just discovered Meoni’s work and would love to see it in person, but even in images, this scene looks like a modern fresco or an egg tempera painting. There’s a haziness, almost as if the image is emerging from, or dissolving into, the surface, giving it a quiet yet compelling presence.
Oil on panel | 15 7/10 × 11 4/5 × 2 in | 40 × 30 × 5 cm
€2,100
Maru Aponte @ Towards Gallery
Scoop: Painting from life, Aponte’s vibrant watercolor paintings are a love letter to her Caribbean identity. She will also be the Art Gallery of Ontario x RBC Artist-in-Residence from April to June 2025.
Bonus for Paid Subscribers:
and I will be hosting an invite-only cocktail for paid subscribers based in Toronto on April 16th. If you’d like to attend, please email bronwyn@shortlycontemporary.com. Spaces are limited!
Camuy, 2025 | Watercolour and gouache on canvas | 16x 12 inches