Women Artists: An Illustrated History (Paperback)

~ Nancy Heller (Author), (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

That women artists were influential in nearly every phase of Western art becomes evident from this engrossing study. In our century, Sonia Delaunay, Paula Modersohn-Becker and Natalya Goncharova helped shape modern "-isms." Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt were in the forefront of the impressionists' fight to change the nature of painting. Realistic scenes of 19th century working-class life by French genre painter Francoise Duparc were revolutionary for her time. Ranging from the Italian Fede Galizia, a pioneer of still-life painting, to American sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and photorealist Audrey Flack, this survey scans the contributions of scores of women artists whose works generally have been neglected or downplayed. Among the histories of women artists currently available, this one stands out for its unsurpassed color reproductions. Heller, who lectures on art in Washington, D.C., writes here about the obstacles creative women have faced from the Renaissance to the present.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA None of the three major surveys of art history (Jansen, Gardner, Hartt) pays adequate attention to women artists of note. Heller's book is a successful attempt to begin to remedy this gap in basic information available to lay readers about women painters and sculptors since the Renaissance. Organized in six chapters by century, the survey provides brief biographical information, some critical analysis and context, and at least one color plate of the work of 125 women artists who lived and worked in Europe or North America between the 16th Century and the 1980s. Although the prose suffers from the problems inherent in a survey texttoo much information too quickly presentedthat problem is also a strength of the volume. Readers will be fascinated to discover these relatively obscure but competent or great artists who remained unknown because they were women. The book is well designed, a pleasure to hold and read, and an excellent resource for students interested in expanding their understanding of art history. Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; 3rd edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789203456
• ISBN-13: 978-0789203458
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 10 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,197,357 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, June 28, 2000

By A Customer

This book is an excellent introduction to women artists throughtout the ages. I discovered some I had never heard of before and as a result bought other books to learn more. The only regrets I have is that it omitted some very interesting painters, like Tamara de Lempicka, and the section on contemporary artists was too heavy on US artists. Otherwise excellent with great illustrations.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopaedia of Women Artists, October 22, 2005

By	Ines Sanchez "sancho panza" (northeast of the USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Women Artists: An Illustrated History (Paperback)

I wanted a encyclopaedia like of women artists and this comes close to it. It is not all inclusive but it has a good number of entries, including the well known ones and the not so well known. I wish it had had more international women artists. I like the fact that it had good color illustrations. I am glad it is included in my art library. It is a good bargain for the price. This is a reference book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great first art book!, October 9, 2007

By	No such thing as too many books! (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This is the first art book I ever read and really enjoyed it.

The book includes sort of mini-bios of each artist with descriptions of her artwork and one representative illustration. I noticed details of each artists' work that I probably would not have noticed on my own, and the book made me want to look up a number of the artists in order to see the rest of their works - and to me, this is indicative of a good book - one they leads you on to want to know more!