Ten years ago, I went to an art fair and didn’t see any works by a woman. I asked myself: “Could I name 10 female artists? What about those working before 1800 or 1700?” The answer was no. Since then, I’ve dedicated my life to shedding a light on as many female artists as I can. I felt it was especially urgent with artists from the 16th and 17th centuries, when women had barely any opportunities, but despite the odds still created.
From Sofonisba Anguissola to Lavinia Fontana, these women are now familiar to me, though sadly not household names. In her book Shakespeare’s Sisters, Ramie Targoff profiles four Elizabethan and Jacobean writers, from diarists to translators, playwrights and poets. It reminded me how this lack of scholarship – and subsequent awareness – applies to every field, not just my own. Could I name 10 female authors from the Renaissance? None were mentioned in my courses, highlighted in the libraries I used, or honoured with statues on the streets.
