Women's Work

A celebration of the innovative, brilliant artists reclaiming the idea of ‘women’s work’. In the history of western art, decorative and applied arts – quilting, embroidery, ceramics – were devalued, separated from the ‘high arts’ of painting and sculpture and deemed more suitable for women.

But artists began to reclaim and redefine these so-called lesser arts, energizing them with vision, imagination and the expression of the female experience. Women’s Work tells the story of this radical change, highlighting the artists who dared to defy the long-standing hierarchy and who, through, experimentation, invention and assertion of identity, transformed their medium. The work of these women has rewritten the history of art, turning women’s work from a demeaning assessment into a cause for celebration. With biographical entries on each artist featured, as well as beautiful images of their artworks, Women’s Work raises up the work of these visionary and groundbreaking artists, telling their stories and examining their artistic legacies.

Author Biography

Ferren Gipson is an art historian, writer and presenter. She is the host and producer of the Art Matters podcast, a doctoral researcher at SOAS, University of London and the author of The Ultimate Art Museum (Phaidon).