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The Art of Feminism: Images that Shaped the Fight for Equality, 1857-2017
Feminist art and the fight for equality
Art and feminism: Once again, women are on the march. And since its inception in the 19th century, the women's movement has harnessed the power of images to transmit messages of social change and equality to the world.
A comprehensive international survey of feminist art: From highlighting the posters of the Suffrage Atelier, through the radical art of Judy Chicago and Carrie Mae Weems, to the cutting-edge work of Sethembile Msezane and Andrea Bowers, The Art of Feminism traces the way feminists have shaped visual arts and media throughout history.
Feminism and art history: Featuring more than 350 works of art, illustration, photography, performance, and graphic design-along with essays examining the legacy of the radical canon-this rich volume showcases the vibrancy of the feminist aesthetic over the last 150 years.
Readers familiar with Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History, Women Art and Society and Women Artists will enjoy The Art of Feminism
Art and feminism: Once again, women are on the march. And since its inception in the 19th century, the women's movement has harnessed the power of images to transmit messages of social change and equality to the world.
A comprehensive international survey of feminist art: From highlighting the posters of the Suffrage Atelier, through the radical art of Judy Chicago and Carrie Mae Weems, to the cutting-edge work of Sethembile Msezane and Andrea Bowers, The Art of Feminism traces the way feminists have shaped visual arts and media throughout history.
Feminism and art history: Featuring more than 350 works of art, illustration, photography, performance, and graphic design-along with essays examining the legacy of the radical canon-this rich volume showcases the vibrancy of the feminist aesthetic over the last 150 years.
Readers familiar with Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History, Women Art and Society and Women Artists will enjoy The Art of Feminism
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 2018
38 people are currently reading
926 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 20, 2021
"My feminism will be intersectional or it will be bullshit", cites the book in the beginning stages. And yet no discussion of trans women and artists followed. Trans people are acknowledged as a concept that exists somewhere and a group that feminists should respect and support (but somehow not include them in a book on feminist art made by and about women?).
That bothering aspect aside, it's also very cold, dry and detached. I feel very passionately about both art and feminism and this book did not invigorate me at all. Maybe the authors tried to find a voice that was objective and academic, but instead to me it sounded like they did not care. But at least the cover was not a ruse and they did discuss the intersection of gender and race and Black Lives Matter movement at length.
In short, it's a fascinating and geographically diverse look at mostly political art made by cis women (and a couple of intersex people and drag queens) which helped me discover quite a few new artists and works. I would say though that it's not introductory - if names like Linda Nochlin, Kimberlé Crenshaw and Tamara de Lempicka don't ring a bell, maybe give this one a pass for now.
That bothering aspect aside, it's also very cold, dry and detached. I feel very passionately about both art and feminism and this book did not invigorate me at all. Maybe the authors tried to find a voice that was objective and academic, but instead to me it sounded like they did not care. But at least the cover was not a ruse and they did discuss the intersection of gender and race and Black Lives Matter movement at length.
In short, it's a fascinating and geographically diverse look at mostly political art made by cis women (and a couple of intersex people and drag queens) which helped me discover quite a few new artists and works. I would say though that it's not introductory - if names like Linda Nochlin, Kimberlé Crenshaw and Tamara de Lempicka don't ring a bell, maybe give this one a pass for now.
January 26, 2020
I stumbled upon this text while researching gender identity at my local library. The cover alone is very intriguing but I really, really liked the content inside in terms of how it was organized and curated. It's not often a female can sit and see the whole of her history laid out before her in all its beauty and brutality. I really, really, enjoyed and recommend this for anyone.
November 18, 2019
Well, the title is misleading in that it really doesn’t give a depiction of feminist art but art that involves women generally. I have some political issues with the art they included in the book and the suggestion in the double meaning of the title that this books knows what the art of feminism would be like. On the back cover there is a list of the artists included in the book and Beyoncé is one of them, and the top place on the list. How is Beyoncé in this book with that empowerment BS that she uses to sell more albums?
I really didn’t care for this book. This only muddies that political struggle that is feminism and reduces it to some apolitical “who run the world” images...
I really didn’t care for this book. This only muddies that political struggle that is feminism and reduces it to some apolitical “who run the world” images...
October 7, 2025
A Promising Subject, a Lost Opportunity
The title of this book initially drew me in, addressing a super essential topic. Unfortunately, the execution falls short. The main thread of the argument is elusive, and the language is needlessly complicated. Most disappointingly, the works of the featured female artists are not contextualized; instead, they are described in a vague, abstract, and unilluminating manner. This is a tremendous missed chance. The subject truly deserves a magnificent book. In this regard, I prefer the clarity and focus of the book: A History of Art Without men.
The title of this book initially drew me in, addressing a super essential topic. Unfortunately, the execution falls short. The main thread of the argument is elusive, and the language is needlessly complicated. Most disappointingly, the works of the featured female artists are not contextualized; instead, they are described in a vague, abstract, and unilluminating manner. This is a tremendous missed chance. The subject truly deserves a magnificent book. In this regard, I prefer the clarity and focus of the book: A History of Art Without men.
March 9, 2021
this was a very cool and interesting pick for international womens day.
it was all about feminist art and the impact women have had on art and the industry. it went from talking about women and how they were treated in the like 1700s to present. it had photos of black lives matter protests, feminist marches, etc. i definitely would recommend and im glad that i impulsively bought this last year.
it was all about feminist art and the impact women have had on art and the industry. it went from talking about women and how they were treated in the like 1700s to present. it had photos of black lives matter protests, feminist marches, etc. i definitely would recommend and im glad that i impulsively bought this last year.
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December 6, 2020Really interesting book. Focuses on feminist images and art from 1857-2017. There’s commentary (which I skimmed more than read) on each section and the images that support the different sections. Very fascinating look at the global imagery throughout the last 160 years.
January 14, 2019
Giving a visual depiction of feminism.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews