Famous Female Artists of the 21st Century: How 5 Real Life Wonder Women Are Taking the Art World by Storm
From artists who paint Wonder Woman fan art to child prodigy artists all grown up, many famous female artists bring their own brand of super powers to the art world today.
Most of them enjoy enormous social media followings. Some are on a first-name basis with the powers that be at companies, like HBO or Harpo, Oprah Winfrey’s company. More than a few of them earned a million dollars before they turned twenty.
And many of them are self-made, proving that making a living as an artist isn’t a pipe dream. It’s a real possibility.
So, just who are these real life Wonder Women of the art world? While it would be impossible to highlight all the famous female artists making an impact in the 21st century, here’s a look at five of the most promising ones.
1. Lena Denya
In terms of working artist bucket lists, Lena Denya has checked off quite a few accomplishments.
She has more than 524,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. She makes 100% of her living as an artist.
Oh, and HBO liked her work so much that they commissioned Denya to create a special piece of Game of Thrones fan art for the final season of the blockbuster hit series.
Not bad for a woman who started her YouTube channel just because she wanted to give back to the art community.
Nowadays, she credits her connections on social media for the success she enjoys today as an artist.
Her work mostly embraces realism, though in a few of her pieces, there’s definitely a slant toward surrealism. She’d definitely hold her own against famous surrealist artists past and present.
2.Dimitra Milan Dunn
Dimitra Milan Dunn counts as one of the art world’s powerhouses. Milan Dunn’s artwork and prints have put her on collectors’ radar, but what some people may not know is how much business acumen she has.
She holds the distinction of being one of three artists on this list who is not only a famous female artist, but also a famous kid artist. Milan Dunn began her art career at the age of fifteen. By the time she was a 16-year-old artist, she had earned a million dollars from the sale of her art.
Running the Distance counts as one of her most famous paintings, but all of them are memorable. Like Lena Denya, Milan Dunn’s work also falls into the category of surrealism.
Now in her early 20s, Milan Dunn not only creates and sells her artwork to a worldwide market, but she’s also a co-owner of the Milan Art Institute, where she, along with her parents, John and Elli Milan, teach artists all over the world how to make a living selling art.
Milan Dunn and her parents originally taught art classes in an in-person classroom setting, but in recent years, they expanded the reach of their curriculum by creating an online art school.
The Mastery Program, which is a one-year, professional level online art certificate program, is just one of the courses she teaches for the Milan Art Institute. Milan Dunn also teaches subjects, like drawing essentials, and is a regular participant in the school’s online art conferences.
3.Akiane Kramarik
Known as the girl who paints heaven, Akiane Kramarik, or just plain Akiane, is both a poetry and art prodigy.
Akiane began painting early in life. By the time she turned four, she had begun drawing her visions of God and of heaven.
By the time she turned eight, she had her first solo exhibition and was on her way to becoming one of the most famous female artists in the world.
Her style is reminiscent of the style of the Old Masters, though some of her work takes on surrealistic and spiritual qualities.
Akiane’s Prince of Peace painting is probably her most famous piece.
It depicts Jesus, and incredibly, the model for this portrait was a real-life carpenter who just happened to show up at her door one day.
4.Alexandra Nechita
The Oprah Winfrey Show made this child painting prodigy famous when Nechita was just 11-years-old.
Since the beginning of her career, Alexandra Nechita’s paintings stood out and not just because she was a child art prodigy.
Rather, her distinctive cubist style drew an enormous amount of attention and earned her the nickname “the pint-sized Picasso.”
Today, she stands out, even among other famous female artists, for not only her artwork and her status as an art prodigy, but also for her work with the United Nations’ Global Arts Initiative.
5.Nicola Scott
Not all of the famous female artists on this list come from the world of fine art. One of the most famous, Nicola Scott, hails from the world of graphic novels and comics.
Now known for her depictions of Diana Prince — that is Wonder Woman — Scott parlayed her love of making Wonder Woman fan art into a career.
Of course, the Aussie artist had a few obstacles to overcome on her way to becoming a comic artist extraordinaire. Her art journey involved a move to America and years of rejection at Comic Con before landing her first gigs in the comic industry.
Nowadays, Scott’s comic illustration abilities allow her to do more than just draw graphic novels. Her art skills have afforded her a regular place at Comic Con and have even nabbed her a deal to illustrate a special cover for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 comic movie tie-in.
For Scott, making a living as an artist means spending her days drawing a character that is loved the world over. Scott’s story is one of perseverance and heart, making her worthy of the title real life Wonder Woman.
Final Thoughts on Famous Female Artists
The most famous female artists working today exert enormous influence on popular culture. Some of them come from more traditional backgrounds and are the powerhouses behind online schools of art, whereas others work in the entertainment industry bringing iconic superheroes to life.
However, all of them are among the most interesting artists working today. What’s more, many of them have become working artists due to their own efforts. They have parlayed massive social media followings into million dollar careers.
Truly, they are the real life Wonder Women of the art world!
