Nochlin’s message could not be more urgent: as she herself put it in 2015, ‘there is still a long way to go’. ‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?’ has become a rallying cry that resonates across culture and society. With reference to Louise Bourgeois, Cindy Sherman and many more, Nochlin diagnoses the state of women and art with unmatched passion and precision. No supremely great women artists A half century ago, Nochlin ruffled feathers in the most trouble-making of ways by taking an aggressively serious look at the question: Why have there been no great women artists (Even though, in the ARTnews special issue in which the essay appeared, she called it a silly question. Written in an era of thriving feminist theory, as well as queer theory, race and postcolonial studies, ‘Thirty Years After’ is a striking reflection on the emergence of a whole new canon. In this stand-alone anniversary edition, Nochlin’s influential essay is published alongside its reappraisal, ‘Thirty Years After’. With unparalleled insight, Nochlin lays bare the acceptance of a white male viewpoint in art historical thought as not merely a moral failure, but an intellectual one. Linda Nochlin also notes that the reason as to why. Instead, she dismantles the very concept of greatness, unravelling the basic assumptions that created the male-centric genius in art. In this case and many more, female artists can easily be equated to male artists in their respective periods. Nochlin refuses to handle the question of why there have been no ‘great women artists’ on its own, corrupted, terms.

At once challenging and enlightening, it is never less than fully engaging, enticing the reader to question their own assumptions and to set off in new directions. It remains fundamental to any appreciation of art today. Linda Nochlin’s landmark essay heralded the dawn of a feminist history of art. Description Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?

Why are there no great female artists