We challenge you to name, off the top of your head, a few women artists exhibited in museums. If male names come more readily to mind, it’s not by chance: women, in art as in many other spheres associated with a form of power, influence or prestige, are far less recognised, exhibited and studied than their male counterparts.
Female artists’ feeble presence in museums
- According to recent research, there are still few women artists in museums.
- In the United States in 2019, in the 18 largest museums in terms of visitor numbers, 87% of the artists exhibited in the permanent collections were men.
- Similarly, in France, a 2021 study lists 93.4% male artists in the catalogues of national public museums.
- One might retort that a good number of European exhibitions have been devoted to women artists of late.
Stereotypes and presumption of unfitness
- A first element of explanation seems to be linked to gender stereotypes, with the presumption that women are unfit to create “official” art.
- Since the 1970s, a number of studies have shown that “masculine” characteristics are more widely associated with the ideal type of leader.
- Despite increasing numbers of women in business and academia, these stereotypes are relatively stable, particularly among men who perceive women as unsuitable for strategic managerial positions.
“Think artist, think male”
- Our 2018 study concurs with this view, highlighting the qualities of a leader are particularly associated with so-called “masculine” characteristics.
- This assimilation of man-leader, man-artist feeds a vicious circle that keeps women away from positions of power in companies and ambitious projects in the art world.
Differentiated access to opportunities
- Even if a small number of women artists manage to be exhibited in museums, historically, they remain mostly confined to less prestigious painting genres (portraits, still life, miniatures).
- The Académie established a hierarchy of genres, with history painting, depicting heroic figures, and the “petit genre”, depicting intimate or light subjects, at the top, followed by landscape and still life.
Network and influence
- Unequal access to professional networks and influential people limits women artists’ opportunities for development, visibility and recognition.
- Male social networks, which generate active solidarity, have no female equivalent, or only marginal ones.
- Similarly, to access strategic positions in companies, it is necessary to be part of networks of influence in order to forge links, build social capital and be able to seize opportunities and emerge as leaders.
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