Women Artists and the Art Market
In 1989 the radical art collective The Guerrilla Girls created one of their now iconic artworks entitled Do Women Have to Be Naked to get into the Met. Museum? The poster, originally displayed on New York buses, commented on the distinct lack of works by living contemporary female artists in one of America’s most hallowed institutions. In 2015 the collective returned to this subject in the work How Many Women Had One-Person Exhibitions at NYC Museums Last Year? The piece made a wide-ranging comparison between female solo shows in 1985 and female solo shows in 2015. The answer is not as many as one might think, with only a slight show in such major museums as the Guggenheim, Whitney, and Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and two shows at MoMA. Just one more show than in 1985, just how much progress has been made? Such statistics indicate an uneven trajectory of change in the art market and how women artists have been undervalued and underrepresented.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Artnet published The Women Artists Market Report 2024 to examine the position of female artists in the context of the commercial art market. Using data from art-sales databases, the report explored the increase in female artists in the market. Artnet’s findings indicate that in 2023 female artists accounted for 10.3% of global auction sales, marking a slight increase from previous years. However, while there is progress, women artists still face significant barriers to entry.
More recently in March of this year, Charlotte Burns wrote for Artnet on the subject of gender disparity. Burns argues that while female representation has increased, the art market continues to favor established male artists. The article suggests that women artists must work twice as hard to achieve the same recognition and financial success as their male counterparts.
Guerrilla Girls, How Many Women Had One-Person Exhibitions at NYC Museums Last Year?, 2015. © Guerrilla Girls. Used for editorial purposes.
The Biennale of Women in Art is a global art event designed to celebrate contemporary female artists.
Bringing together over 200 artists from over 50 countries, this carefully curated exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for visitors to acquire artworks by established talent, and to view powerful contemporary art.
The Biennale of Women in Art is an important occasion to build upon existing efforts worldwide that strive for more balanced gender representation in the art market. The exhibition will develop and reinforce the momentum of this movement, presenting a platform to showcase emerging talent, as well as established artists.
We look forward to welcoming thousands of art lovers, interior designers, curators and collectors across 4 days in the heart of West London. The event will incorporate a program of talks and an awards presentation.
In an increasingly interconnected world, artistic expression is no boundaries. The Biennale of Women in Art celebrates the diversity of female artists who have transcended geographical and cultural limits to create works that resonate on a global scale.
Explore the extraordinary female artists selected for the 2024 edition of the London Biennale of Women in Art.