The Story of Art (Without Men)

A Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
Waterstones Book of the Year Award

A must-read work that rewrites art history, filling in half of its narrative and changing its course.
While the bestselling book "The Story of Art" overlooked female artists, this book fills that void.
From Katsushika Oi, Pan Yuliang, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Yayoi Kusama to Marina Abramović...
From the Renaissance to the twenty-first century,
Featuring nearly 500 female artists and over 300 stunning artworks spanning five centuries.

An unprecedented art history — "I'll show you what a woman can do."
"Hessel has written an unprecedented art history, shining a spotlight on women where Leonardo had no lens." — Art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston

　　How many female artists do you know? Who wrote art history? Were there any women working as artists before the twentieth century? What exactly is Baroque?

　　Art historian Katy Hessel founded the @thegreatwomenartists account on Instagram. In this book, she unearths the brilliant paintings of Renaissance artist Sofonisba Anguissola, the radical creations of 19th-century artist Harriet Powers, and the female artists who truly pioneered "readymade" art. She explores the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing works of post-war Latin American artists, and the women influencing new artistic trends in the 2020s. This book challenges your perception of art history, opening your eyes to a variety of overlooked and disparaged art forms. From the coast of Cornwall to Manhattan, from Nigeria to Japan, this is an unprecedented art history.

       This book is not only a bold re-evaluation but also a long-overdue tribute.

Endorsements
Lu Pei-yi | Associate Professor, Master of Arts in Contemporary Art Criticism and Curatorial Studies (English Program), National Taipei University of Education
Lee O-son | Artist
Lin Ping | CEO, Taiwan Art Foundation
Lin I-hua | Art Director, Shan Ye Project
Wu Yue-yu | Director, TKG+
Wu Geng-zhen | Artist
Hsu Wen-ray | Independent Curator
Yin Pao-ning | Professor, Graduate Institute of Art Management and Cultural Policy, National Taiwan University of Arts
Lien Li-li | Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Arts, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages
Chen Kuan-yi | Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
Chang En-man | Visual Artist
Chang Wan-chen | Independent Curator, Former Professor, Graduate Institute of Museum Studies, National Taipei University of the Arts
Tseng Shao-chien | Professor and Director, Graduate Institute of Art History, National Central University
Huang Kuei-ying | Associate Professor and Director, Graduate Institute of Visual Culture, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Huang Shan-shan | Art Director, Jut Art Museum
Huang Xiang | Director, Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art
Liu Yu | Artist
(Listed in order of stroke count of last name)

Praise
“Brilliantly excellent, authoritative, passionate, and beautifully written.”
──Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, Twitter post
 
“Hessel has produced an extraordinary work... covering diverse media (from paper-cutting to performance art) and a wide range of themes (including post-colonial narratives and queer pride). While consistently focusing on women, she also includes some selective slander of men, demonstrating the harsh conditions female artists faced in the past and still face today... This is a captivating book.”
──Writer Margot Mifflin, Los Angeles Times
 
“This book should become a foundational text for women’s art history... Inspiring, indispensable.”
──Critic and multimedia artist Bidisha Mamata, The Guardian

“Sweeping... It's revisionist history and a hardcover picture book, a collective portrait and an archival treasure hunt.”
──Writer and gender studies scholar Tiana Reid, New York Times

“In an art world where women have been marginalized, this book is a revelation and an important first step in correcting that imbalance.”
──Writer and editor Katy Thompsett, creative media website Refinery29

“Hessel has written an unprecedented art history, shining a spotlight on women where Leonardo had no lens.”
──Art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times

“There is still a long way to go to fully correct gender imbalance, but this book depicts how women have overcome immense difficulties to achieve outstanding artistic accomplishments, opening a small but firm crack in the art canon.”
──Art critic Chloë Ashby, The Spectator

“This book achieves something extraordinary and will leave a disruptive cultural legacy, helping to shape the landscape of art history for years to come.”
──Interview Director Helena Lee, Harper’s Bazaar

“This is a radical act, rewriting history and subverting the dominance men have enjoyed in our culture. (It also covers queer artists and artists of color.) Reading this book, it’s truly exciting not to see those expected common names in every art historical period.”
──Art and culture writer Grace Edquist, Vogue

“After reading this book, teachers may be eager to redesign their introductory art history courses and syllabi — for example, swapping out Picasso for Venezuelan artist Gego.”
──Art historian Nageen Shaikh, online art website Hyperallergic

“An indispensable introduction to art history, specifically focusing on female artists... A constructive and illuminating work... A long-overdue subversion of art history.”
──Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

“Highly recommend readers pick up this book; it will absolutely open your eyes and is easy to read... We urgently need books like this.”
──Writer Hattie Crisell, Evening Standard

“This book is amazing, unbelievable. Genuinely and enthusiastically recommended.”
──Journalist and writer India Knight, Sunday Times

“Hessel’s love for art history shines brightly. She... offers detailed, poetic descriptions with reverence and excitement, as if discovering her subjects for the first time... This book invites readers to continually reflect on art history and continue to fill in its gaps.”
──Independent curator Annabel Keenan, Artillery
 
“Art history has long been dominated by men. ‘The Story of Art (Without Men)’ overturns this deficiency, void, and bias, writing the stories of female artists!”
──Lu Pei-yi (Associate Professor, Master of Arts in Contemporary Art Criticism and Curatorial Studies (English Program), National Taipei University of Education)

Features of this Book
◎Rediscovery and Rectification: Through systematic organization, it showcases the diverse creations and influence of female artists from early to modern times in fields such as painting, sculpture, photography, and installation art, filling the gaps in traditional works like "The Story of Art" and challenging the male-dominated narrative of art history.
◎Innovative Perspective, Authority, and Depth: For centuries, art historical discourse has been predominantly male-led. This book's author, Hessel, breaks with this tradition, using solid academic research and clear narration to present how female artists overcame historical limitations and established unique styles, leading readers to rediscover marginalized geniuses and redefine aesthetics and creativity.
◎Rich Visual Feast: The book includes many large-format artworks, emphasizing explosions of color and wild lines, completely overturning the stereotype that "female art equals delicate and gentle." The visual presentation is of exceptional quality. Its easy-to-read style, combined with abundant images and narrative, is suitable for both general readers and professional learners.
◎Across Styles and Regions: From the Renaissance to the contemporary era (16th to 21st centuries), it covers female artists from across Europe, America, Africa, and Asia, presenting a global perspective on the development of women's art.