Ready for a fascinating fact? Only 2% of all global art auction spending is on work by women. Of that small percentage, there is a disproportionate concentration on a few artists; 40.7% market share last year was split between, in descending order, Yayoi Kusama, Joan Mitchell, Louise Bourgeois, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Agnes Martin.
Similar can be said about museum collections and the art historical canon as a whole; it is primarily composed of a few token women artists and then a whole lot of white males. If you aren’t convinced, check out the deep dive on female representation in the art world here and here.
While the reality of female representation in the art world is disappointing and downright shocking it may also present a few opportunities; for passion collecting, for investment, and for creating today’s art history. This month, I want to shine a little light on some incredible women artists and show that progress is imminent.
🌊 Deep Dive: Female Artists Making History
In an effort to include female artists in the greater art historical conversation, I thought this month I’d do a quick overview of some of my favorite female artists.
Modern Painters (~1860s to the 1970s)
Lee Krasner © 2017 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image Courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.
Lee Krasner - explosive, fierce, gestural brushstrokes dominate Krasner’s compositions. While often referred to as wife of Jackson Pollock, Krasner’s paintings absolutely stand on their own.
Helen Frankenthaler - the lone female who has cut through the noise of male-dominated Abstract Expressionism (think Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning). Her unprimed canvases are washed with beautiful pigments.
Established Contemporary Artists
Carrie Mae Weems, The Kitchen Table Series, 1990 © Carrie Mae Weems and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Carrie Mae Weems - captures the modern-day experience of family, identity, and power, with a focus on the issues specifically faced by Black people today.
Carmen Herrera - overlooked and on-trend with the history rewind in search of overlooked artists, the 100+-year-old Carmen Herrera is at the top of this list. Largely unknown until 2009, yet a contemporary of Ellsworth Kelley and Barnett Newman, her minimalist color block works are equally as compelling.
Cindy Sherman - the absolute original queen of the selfie, Sherman creates illusive photographs of herself as many different personas and characters.
Guerrilla Girls - a feminist art activist collective made up of an anonymous group of women who have been using art world statistics as the fundamental element of their practice to expose gender and ethnic bias in politics, art, film, and pop culture.
Jenny Holzer - using words as a medium, Holzer presents critiques and meditations on culture, often in public spaces. Her words often take shape through projects and LEDs.
Midcareer + Emerging Artists
Katherine Bradford, Swim Team Outer Space, 2015 © Katherine Bradford and CANADA Gallery
Katherine Bradford - similar to Herrera, Bradford was “discovered” later in life. Her whimsical swimmers and superheroes on Rothko-like grounds have me hooked.
Mika Rottenberg - multi-disciplinarian in practice, Rottenberg is known for her video pieces with sculptural elements that revolve around ideas and systems of labor and production.
Mickalene Thomas - best known for elaborate paintings of women, often based on a re-interpreted version of art historical works and re-interpreted to fit today’s audience.
Toyin Ojih Odulota - the texture in her work is phenomenal. Known for pen drawings of figures with an emphasis on skin, hair, and texture.
Hilary Pecis - everyday, relatable objects (think a can of Modelo or the catalog from a recent museum show) serve as the subject of her modern-day still lifes and landscapes.
Amanda Baldwin - Baldwin’s brightly colored surrealist-style still lifes keep drawing me back in.
Had to stop here in an effort to keep from getting carried away but feel free to shoot me an email if you want to more!
🔥 Trending
Spoiler alert; the art world is still mostly online.
(Probably) to no one’s su[r](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/arts/design/art-basel-miami-beach-canceled.html#:~:text=Citing the toll of the,had been scheduled for December.)prise, Art Basel has [announced that they are canceling](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/arts/design/art-basel-miami-beach-canceled.html#:~:text=Citing the toll of the,had been scheduled for December.) the party of the year that is Art Basel Miami in response to the pandemic. It would have been the fair’s 19th edition.
Despite the in-person cancellation, Art Basel released its first mid-year UBS Global Art Market Report, written in partnership with art economist Clare McAndrew, with the hopes of demonstrating COVID-19’s effect on the art market. While over the past 6 months, gallery sector sales have dropped 36% since last year's equivalent period, the report provides a few positive behaviors include an influx of new art buyers.
Zwirner will open yet another new space, but this outpost will be different. Yesterday The New York Times announced that an initiative between David Zwirner and his newest staff member, Ebony L. Haynes, will be to create a new outpost for the gallery, staffed by exclusively Black individuals. Black professionals are grossly underrepresented in the gallery space so with this decision Zwirner and Haynes are addressing the imbalance head on. Excited to follow along and see what this increased widened perspective brings to the cultural table.
💸 Advisory Picks to Buy Now
Artsy recently released their artists to watch of 2020; check it out here. I am loving Asuka Anastacia Ogawa’s little figures and Ming Smith’s intimate photographs.
EVEN more Art for a Cause. Put your money to good use with purchases that support New York museums, voting, and Biden - because we really don’t need another four years of this.
Artists for New York via Hauser & Wirth, Oct 1-22nd
A major initiative to raise funds in support of a group of pioneering non-profit visual arts organizations across New York City that have been profoundly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Artists include Katherine Bradford, Lorna Simpson, Rashid Johnson, Simone Leigh, and many, many more.
Artists for Biden via David Zwirner on Platform.art, Oct 2-8th
More than 100 artists and estates are donating works for a fundraiser supporting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Artists include Lisa Yuskavage, KAWS, Jeff Koons, Carmen Herrera, Jenny Holzer, and many more.
Art for Change dropping new artworks every Tuesday with proceeds going to When We All Vote.
“When We All Vote” has a mission to make sure every eligible voter is registered and ready to vote in every election.
These will be a bit more wallet-conscious - I’ve got my eye on the Susumu Kamijo Poodles and Brian Calvin’s portrait of RBG.
Until next time! xx