History & Criticism
![Katy Hessel - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B093NZZCC7.jpg)
The Story of Art Without Men
The story of art as it's never been told before, from the Renaissance to the present day, with more than 300 works of art.
How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the twentieth century? And what is the Baroque anyway?
Guided by Katy Hessel, art historian and founder of @thegreatwomenartists, discover the glittering paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance, the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth-century United States and the artist who really invented the "readymade." Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of postwar artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Have your sense of art history overturned and your eyes opened to many artforms often ignored or dismissed. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, this is the history of art as it's never been told before.
100 color illustrations
How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the twentieth century? And what is the Baroque anyway?
Guided by Katy Hessel, art historian and founder of @thegreatwomenartists, discover the glittering paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance, the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth-century United States and the artist who really invented the "readymade." Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of postwar artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Have your sense of art history overturned and your eyes opened to many artforms often ignored or dismissed. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, this is the history of art as it's never been told before.
100 color illustrations
Editorial Reviews
"Excellent authoritative exuberant and elegantly written."
― Simon Sebag Montefiore, on Twitter
"What Hessel achieves here is extraordinary . . . She covers a wide range of mediums (from silhouette papercutting to body art) and themes (including postcolonial narratives and queer pride). And though she keeps the focus on the women, she includes a few choice slurs by men as evidence of what these artists were―and are―up against . . . This [is a] spellbinding book."
― Margot Mifflin, Los Angeles Times
"[The Story of Art Without Men] should become a founding text in the history of art by women . . . Inspiring and indispensable."
― Bidisha Mamta, Guardian
"Sweeping . . . Part revisionist history, part coffee-table book, part collective portrait, part archival treasure hunt."
― Tiana Reid, New York Times
"A revelation and an important first step towards redressing the balance of an art world in which women have been sidelined."
― Katy Thompsett, Refinery29
"Katy Hessel presents art as you've never seen it before, with women in the spotlight―and without a Leonardo in sight."
― Rachel Campbell-Johnston, Times (London)
"There's still some way to go until the gender imbalance is totally redressed, but The Story of Art Without Men, which describes how women achieved artistic excellence against colossal odds, has firmly cracked open the canon."
― Chloë Ashby, Spectator
"The Story of Art Without Men is an extraordinary achievement that will have a disruptive cultural legacy and help determine the landscape for years to come."
― Helena Lee, Harper's Bazaar
"It's a radical premise, rewriting history and upending the dominance men have held over so much of our culture. ([Hessel] includes sections on queer artists and artists of color, too.) Reading the book, I felt almost giddy as I reached each art-historical moment without the usual suspects mentioned."
―
― Simon Sebag Montefiore, on Twitter
"What Hessel achieves here is extraordinary . . . She covers a wide range of mediums (from silhouette papercutting to body art) and themes (including postcolonial narratives and queer pride). And though she keeps the focus on the women, she includes a few choice slurs by men as evidence of what these artists were―and are―up against . . . This [is a] spellbinding book."
― Margot Mifflin, Los Angeles Times
"[The Story of Art Without Men] should become a founding text in the history of art by women . . . Inspiring and indispensable."
― Bidisha Mamta, Guardian
"Sweeping . . . Part revisionist history, part coffee-table book, part collective portrait, part archival treasure hunt."
― Tiana Reid, New York Times
"A revelation and an important first step towards redressing the balance of an art world in which women have been sidelined."
― Katy Thompsett, Refinery29
"Katy Hessel presents art as you've never seen it before, with women in the spotlight―and without a Leonardo in sight."
― Rachel Campbell-Johnston, Times (London)
"There's still some way to go until the gender imbalance is totally redressed, but The Story of Art Without Men, which describes how women achieved artistic excellence against colossal odds, has firmly cracked open the canon."
― Chloë Ashby, Spectator
"The Story of Art Without Men is an extraordinary achievement that will have a disruptive cultural legacy and help determine the landscape for years to come."
― Helena Lee, Harper's Bazaar
"It's a radical premise, rewriting history and upending the dominance men have held over so much of our culture. ([Hessel] includes sections on queer artists and artists of color, too.) Reading the book, I felt almost giddy as I reached each art-historical moment without the usual suspects mentioned."
―
Readers Top Reviews
EVKRA rhythm pers
Wow! Such an incredible, important and well-told journey through the history of art with women at the heart of it. I enjoyed every page and every image, and learnt so much!
Tamsin
The stories of the women artists in this book moved me to tears. I have an A level and a degree in Art History. I have always loved the subject. At school we discussed 'Why have there been no great women artists?" and I had a brief lecture on Hildegard of Bingen, but those were the only times I had been confronted by female artists in that whole time. I had thought it was because women just didn't get the chance, much like women in sciences and politics, I thought that the culture of the time had stopped them and that was the simple answer to the question. What I hadn't realised is that there were women artists and they produced genuinely great artwork - at least as equal to many of their male contemporaries. They worked on a variety of genres and some of these women were recognised as great artists within their own lifetimes. There lives and artwork may even have been relatively well documented, but still they didn't make it into the canon. These women were overlooked and that is a great injustice - these women genuinely deserved to be there. Their work and achievements are equal to their male contemporaries. Some of these women chose to carve out their niche in fields they found more accessible, but some chose to compete directly with men and there is now no excuse for the works of these women to not be included in The Story of Art. Seeing the works these women produced and knowing what I do about their contemporaries, these women were forgotten by art history and it is time we remembered them. I found this deeply moving to read, because these women missed out on the historical prestige of their male counterparts but were every part as deserving of it. If you're worried this will be a hugely Feminist book, fear not. Hessel obviously focuses on female artists, but it is much more a celebration of these artists and their work than it is a political statement. This is one of books that everyone interested in Art History should read. And there's nothing wrong with picking up Gombrich and reading them together. Hessel's book is the missing chapters from Gombrich's work and with that, The Story of Art is complete.
V
Katy Hessel's The Story of Art without Men is in equal parts enjoyable as it is essential reading. She writes in an accessible style with easy to follow accounts of so many artists that I'd never heard of and am so glad to know now. It is a triumph with so many beautiful pictures and invaluable content including a much needed timeline at the back charting all the different movements and artists from throughout the world and the history of art. I cannot recommend this book enough, I wish it had existed when when I was studying art history but I'm even more pleased it exists now. 10/10. Five stars. Best ever.
anabanabelle
Excellent book that should have been written a hundred years ago
LauraK
The quality of this book is exceptional. Beautiful art inside, high quality paper and Hessel is a captivating writer. You won’t want to put the book down
