A Little Feminist History of Art

In the late 1960s, as women artists strove to "de-gender" their work to compete in a male-dominated field, the feminist art movement emerged and has played a leading role in the art world over the past five decades. Feminist artists employed the "female gaze" to express socially relevant issues following the era of aesthetic "formalism." They utilized various media, focusing on concepts such as gender, identity, and form. They critiqued and transformed our understanding of cultural expectations and stereotypes of women, women's struggle for equality, and the commodification of the female body. Fifty outstanding works reflect women's lives and experiences, the changing status of women artists, and the impact of feminist ideals and politics on visual culture. This book is a celebration of one of the 20th century's most ambitious, influential, and enduring art movements.