There are many female artists who have changed the world.
- Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun (1755-1842, French)
It was not easy for this woman to become an artist, as a woman in 18th century Paris. She lived through difficult times in Paris, and she was able to attend the French Academy after Marie Antoinette helped. She was 28 years old, and one of just four women.
She is best known for her portraits of aristocratic women, and her paintings are considered more natural. During the French Revolution, she fled Paris and traveled through Europe. She was hired on commission in many major cities, including St. Petersburg, Berlin, Florence, Naples, and Vienna.
- Mary Cassatt (1844-1926, American)
This artist is one of just three female Impressionists, and the only American. She introduced major art collectors in America to European art, and she was a firm believer that art should reflect modern life. She painted In the Loge in 1878, which is a painting of the modern woman. It was the first impressionist work that she exhibited in the United States.
- Hilma af Klint (1862-1944, Swedish)
This artist was widely recognized as one of the pioneers of abstract art after the Guggenheim displayed her works. Her work was large, bright, and abstract, and it was the most attended exhibit at the Guggenheim. She was born in Stockholm, and she attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts there. She graduated in 1887 and became the secretary of the Association of Swedish Women Artists.
She wanted to reconcile religion with science, and she created 193 paintings between 1906 and 1915. However, she required that these works not be shown until 20 years after her death.
- Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986, American)
Georgia O’Keeffe was one of the first American artists to produce a purely abstract piece. This was in contrast to American realism. One of her paintings, Music, Pink and Blue, is known for her bringing together music and a flower using the theories of the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. She wanted to turn music into something that you could see.