Herstory

Surrealism

Queen of Chicago: American Surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie

Gertrude Abercrombie’s barren landscapes, cats, female figures in long dresses, and other repeated imagery built a complex body of haunting...

Theodore Carter 5 June 2025

Vanitas painting with dark background. On the table are flowers, a scalloped dish filled with almonds, dates, and raisins, and pretzels on a pewter dish. There is also a pewter urn, a gold goblet, and wine glass filled with a red liquid. Women Artists

10 Women of the Dutch Golden Age

The art produced during the Dutch Golden Age is known for its beautiful genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes. However, the artists associated...

Lauren Kraut, Nicole Ganbold 2 June 2025

Louisine Havemeyer Mary Cassatt Impressionism

Louisine Havemeyer and Her Modern Art Collection

A great pioneering art collector, Louisine Havemeyer (1855–1929), was the first American to patronize the French Impressionists. Together with her...

Alexandra Kiely 28 May 2025

Women Artists

Violet Oakley: The First American Woman with a Public Mural Commission

1906, Philadelphia, USA: a historic moment in art was unfolding in the Pennsylvania Capitol Building. A series of murals depicting The Founding of...

Wendy Gray 26 May 2025

Women Artists

Pre-Raphaelite Sisters: Five Female Painters to Know

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an all-male artistic fraction active during the second half of the 19th century, has become synonymous today with...

Anastasia Tsaleza 23 May 2025

Women Artists

Maria Pinińska-Bereś—The Artist Who Made Pink Feminist

When I think of Maria Pinińska-Bereś her name appears in my head in light-pink hand-written letters embroidered on a white duvet. It is of course...

Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 22 May 2025

Dance

Kyra Nijinsky: Portrait of a Dancer

Kyra Nijinsky was a ballet dancer born in Vienna to a family of Polish and Hungarian origin with a Russian dance and cultural heritage. Being a...

Klaudia Zelazowska 21 May 2025

Herstory

Belle da Costa Greene—The Morgan Library’s First Director

Belle da Costa Greene (1883–1950) is remembered as one of the most influential librarians in American history. Starting as a private librarian,...

Nikolina Konjevod 12 May 2025

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Queen Mother Idia of Benin

Africa is a beautiful continent filled with sweeping landscapes and mighty rivers. Its history is filled with great kingdoms and large empires. Its...

James W Singer 11 May 2025

Belkis Ayon, The Supper, 1991 Artist Stories

Exploring the Collographs of Belkis Ayón, Cuban Master of Printmaking

Belkis Ayón's transgressive art explored a secret all-male religion called the Abakuá in Cuba. She died tragically aged just 32, leaving behind some of the finest print-making of the 20th century.

Candy Bedworth 8 May 2025

Women Artists

Giovanna Garzoni: A Life of a Still-life Expert

Giovanna Garzoni excelled in the male-dominated field of painting in the 1600s. She was renowned for her naturalistic still-life paintings, botanical...

Guest Author 28 April 2025

WTF Art History

10 Weird Madonnas You Need to See

Controversial and challenging Madonnas from across art history. Ten eccentric and thought-provoking paintings. Take a look!

Candy Bedworth 28 April 2025