(France, 16/04/1755 - 30/03/1842) While her foundational art knowledge came from her father, Vigée Lebrun was largely self-taught with her mastery of pastels allowing her to create soft textures and an almost airbrushed finish that rendered her sitters as appearing to be more attractive and desirable than in reality, making her the favourite portraitist of the French Enlightenment elite. Obsessed with art history, she challenged herself to not only match but exceed the talent

(Japan, 22/03/1929 - ) The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe (2019) Growing up in post-World...

(Brazil, 01/09/1886 - 17/01/1973) Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Latin American Modern Art, do Amaral was a central force in shaping Brazil’s cultural identity in the 20th century. Her vivid colours, bold compositions and unique fusion of European Modernist styles with Brazilian themes made her a pioneer of the country’s Modernist movement. Born in Capivari, a rural town in the state of São Paulo, into a wealthy coffee plantation family, her privile

(Australia, 18/11/1901 - 09/09/1989) Self-Portrait (c.1934) A significant figure in twentieth-century Australian art, Craig’s career...

(Poland, 16/05/1898 - 18/03/1980) La Tunique Rose (1927) Born as Maria Gorska to a wealthy family and raised in early-twentieth-century...

(Italy, 02/02/1532 - 16/11/1625) Born into a noble Cremonese family, Anguissola benefited from an education that extended well beyond the expectations for girls of her era. Her father, Amilcare Anguissola, believed passionately in the intellectual and artistic potential of his daughters and ensured that they received rigorous instruction in traditionally masculine fields of painting and literature as well as science, and actively promoted their artistic ambitions. In fact, he

(Italy, 12/01/1673 - 15/04/1757) As the first woman to definitively instigate a new artistic style, Carriera is known as one of history's most successful and influential female artists. Her innovative use of pastels removed associations with the informal drawings and preparatory sketches for which they were traditionally used, popularising the medium to such an extent that it became an instrument of serious portraiture and establishing her as the first pioneer of Rococo. Much

(France, 16/03/1822 - 25/05/1899) The Horse Fair (1852-55) Financially independent, living openly as a lesbian and open about her...

(Netherlands, 03/06/1664 - 12/10/1750) Still-Life with Flower Bouquet and Plums (1704) Born in 1664 into a family steeped in scientific...

(Portugal, 26/01/1935 - 08/06/2022) The Policeman's Daughter (1987) Born in 1935, three years into Salazar’s fascist dictatorship, Rego...

(Germany, 08/02/1876 - 20/11/1907) Self-Portrait (Semi-Nude with Amber Necklace and Flowers II), (1906) One of the first women to work...

(Georgia, 28/05/1899 - 01/03/1967) Self-Portrait with Cat (1924) Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire, Sacharoff...

(Poland, 15/04/1865 - 26/10/1940) Self-Portrait with Folded Hands (1893) Born in Kraków in 1865, Boznańska was first taught to draw by her mother before receiving private lessons from artists including Kazimierz Pochwalski, Antoni Piotrowski and Wilhelm Dürr. Intending to further her education, she moved to Munich in 1886 but, unable to access the Academy, was forced to continue taking expensive private lessons. Nevertheless, she continued to hone her skills in portraits, sti

(Germany-Switzerland, 06/10/1913 - 15/11/1985) Self-Portrait, Skull and Ornament (1964) Best known for her surrealist creations that...

(Russia, 03/07/1881 - 17/10/1962) A pioneering avant-garde artist, Goncharova is best known for her radical contributions to Modern art in the early 20th century. As a key figure in the Russian avant-garde movement, she co-founded the Rayonism movement along with the influential Jack of Diamonds and the more radical Donkey’s Tail artist groups, challenging academic conventions and championing traditional Russian styles over Western expectations, ultimately playing a decisive

(United States of America, 22/05/1844 - 14/06/1926) In the Loge (1878) As an integral member of the French Impressionist movement,...

(England, 26/03/1633 - 08/10/1699) Not only was Beale one of the first women to work as a professional artist in Britain, but is also the first woman we know of to write about art, having published Observations by MB , in 1663. This 250-word directive for how to best paint apricots made her the author of one of the earliest pieces of writing focused on artistic techniques to have been published by an author of any gender in England. Born Mary Craddock, her father was an amate

(Serbia, 30/11/1946 -) Rhythm 5 (1974) Born in Belgrade in 1946, Abramović began her formal training in painting and visual arts at the...

(France, 01/12/1840 - 17/01/1916) One of the most notable women of the Impressionist movement, Bracquemond’s early life was troubled due to her parent’s uneasy relationship. The family moved from her home in Brittany, France, to the Jura region, then to Switzerland, and back to France to the Limousin region before settling in Étampes, 48km south of Paris. Here, she began to receive lessons from one M. Auguste Vassor and successfully submitted a painting to the 1857 Paris Sal

(Ukraine, 23/11/1858 - 31/10/1884) Self-Portrait with Palette (1880) “What am I?... Nothing!” Marie Bashkirtseff’s asked to her diary at...