In 1971, art historian Linda Nochlin wrote a seminal essay, “Why Have There Been No Major Women Artists?” The answer was in part that they lacked opportunity. No longer. Few subjects are hotter on the art scene today than women artists, and few women artists are hotter than women artists of color.
You’ll encounter many provocative contemporary ones from around the globe in Abigail Crompton’s new “Truth Bomb: Inspiration From the Mouths and Minds of Women Artists” (Thames & Hudson, $34.95, 208 pages). Then go back to the women who helped ignite a movement, Nochlin herself, in the just published “Women Artists: The Linda Nochlin Reader” (Thames & Hudson, $24.95, 472 pages), edited by Maura Reilly. It includes her marvelous reflections on everyone from French Impressionist Mary Cassatt to photographer/filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood. With profiles of the various artists, this is a must reference book for anyone who’s serious about modern and contemporary female artists.
For more, visit thamesandhudsonusa.com.
– Georgette Gouveia
