Mother and Child, A Goodnight Hug (detail) by Mary Cassatt, 1880
We live in a moment in which formerly marginalized groups of artists, including people of color and women, are being celebrated. But for centuries, women were conspicuously underrepresented in—and indeed almost absent from—art history books. Yet despite the multitude of barriers that kept women from achieving prominence, a critical mass did find their way into the annals of art history.
Join art historian Judy Pomerantz as she examines the role women have played in Western visual arts from the Renaissance to the present through an exploration of the works and lives of female artists who made significant marks on the art of their time and on the course of art history. She also looks at the challenges women artists have faced in their chosen profession and at some of the reasons women are now being more widely recognized for their contributions.
January 10 Renaissance to mid-19th Century
Pomerantz examines some of the early barriers encountered by women. Artists include Lavinia Fontana, Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissolola, Judith Leyster, and Elisabeth Vige-Lebrun, among others.
January 17 Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century
Trace the slow acceptance of women into the art world. Artists include Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot, Cecilia Beaux, Kathe Kollwitz, Gabriele Munter, Rosa Bonheur, and Hilma af Klint.
January 24 Modern Artists up to the mid-20th Century
Survey the lives and works of modern artists including Frida Kahlo, Barbara Hepworth, Georgia O’Keefe, Louise Bourgeois, Alma Thomas, Alice Neel, and Louise Nevelson.
January 31 Abstract Expressionists and Those Who Came After
Explore the careers of Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner, Elaine De Kooning, and Grace Hartigan, as well as several women who subsequently made a notable mark on the art world, including Cindy Sherman, Marina Abramovich, Yayoi Kusama, and Kara Walker.
4 sessions
World Art History Certificate core course: Earn 1 credit*
General Information
*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1 core course credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.
