Famous Female Artists Who Painted History
Dive into the lives and legacies of iconic female artists who left marks on history through their remarkable paintings.
Do you notice that when you study art history, you always see the names of Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Michaelangelo, but it is difficult to find female artists who have similar recognition?
Since there are many great female artists nowadays, like Yayoi Kusama, Jenny Saville, and Kara Walker, it is evident that creativity and artistic talents are not restricted by gender.
Aligned with the International Women’s Day 2024 ideas of #InspireInclusion, we are introducing and empowering you through the stories of famous female artists in history to highlight the unique perspectives and contributions of women.
Why Are Women Underrepresented In Art History?
Throughout history, the experiences of women, both in society and as artists, have been distinct from men.
Historically, society’s structure has restricted women’s ability to run businesses. Art wasn’t only a medium for creativity but also a business, considering that artists needed to mingle with patrons and manage their finances.
On top of that, women also had limited to no access to workshops and institutions.
Many women strived to learn art from their fathers or from art teachers outside of the academy, but still, many also needed to publish work under a studio name or the name of their fathers or husbands.
The art world was more open to aristocratic women during the Renaissance. Apart from aristocats, women, especially among the children of artists, were becoming more prevalent in the 15th and 16th centuries.
However, as time went on, women were more expected to depict domestic scenes, while male artists were encouraged to paint biblical or mythical scenes. This could be one of the reasons why female paintings are overlooked in history.
Gender roles were even more restricted in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women were mainly told to focus on being mothers and homemakers.
So, when art history was documented and written in this period, people often left out the stories of women artists until they were rediscovered at a later time.
14 Popular Female Artists In Art History
- Lavinia Fontana
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Judith Leyster
- Angelica Kauffman
- Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
- Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann
- Rosa Bonheur
- Berthe Morisot
- Mary Cassatt
- Maria Catharia Wiik
- Laura Coombs Hills
- Helene Schjerfbeck
- Ethel Reed
- Julie de Graag
14 Popular Female Painters & Their Paintings
Here is a curated list of outstanding women artists from the Renaissance to the early 20th century expressionism movement, along with their notable works available in rawpixel’s public domain collection.
1. Lavinia Fontana
- Born: 1552
- Died: 1614
- Country of Origin: Italy
- Style & Period: Mannerist
Lavinia Fontana is recognized as the first female artist in the Western world who makes a living from arts and commissions.
Born as the daughter of Prospero Fontana, an art teacher, she studied her father’s works and established herself as a prominent artist in Bologna and Rome, especially for her exquisite depictions of Bolognese noblewomen.
What sets Lavinia apart is not only her style. Her relationships with her female patrons were particularly notable for the warmth and intimacy uncommon for the time.
Apart from portraiture, Fontana is also famous for her religious paintings, such as The Holy Family and The Wedding Feast at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine.
2. Artemisia Gentileschi
- Born: 1593
- Died: 1656
- Country of Origin: Italy
- Style & Period: Baroque
Artemisia Gentileschi’s works are notable for strong feminist themes, particularly in her portrayal of biblical heroines. The majority of her paintings feature women as central protagonists or equals to men.
Artemisia has produced professional-quality work since she was fifteen. Influenced by her father’s art, which drew inspiration from Caravaggio, she developed a powerful artistic style.
One of her notable paintings is “Esther Before Ahasuerus,” which depicts the biblical heroine pleading for the salvation of her people. In this portrayal, she captured Esther’s determination in defying court protocol to confront King Ahasuerus.
Similarly, Artemisia’s depiction of Lucretia, the Roman noblewoman who chose suicide over dishonor, portrays dynamic female figures in control of their own destinies.
3. Judith Leyster
- Born: 1609
- Died: 1660
- Country of Origin: the Netherlands
- Style & Period: Baroque & Dutch Golden Age
Judith Leyster was the first woman to attain the title of master painter in the Netherlands.
Among her notable works is a captivating self-portrait, signifying a departure from the conventional stiffness of earlier women’s self-portraits, instead showcasing a more relaxed and dynamic pose.
Her other prominent work is The Jolly Toper, which depicts the popular Peeckelhaeringh character from 17th-century comedic plays.
Although Judith Leyster’s art was greatly admired during her lifetime, for almost 250 years following her death, Leyester’s works were misattributed to Frans Hals, who has a similar painting style to hers.
Fortunately, in 1892, Hofstede de Groot, a Dutch collector and art historian, identified Leyster’s mark on a painting previously sold as a Hals. This discovery led to the recognition of Leyster’s art, reclaiming her rightful place in art history.
4. Angelica Kauffman
- Born: 1741
- Died: 1807
- Country of Origin: Italy
- Style & Period: Neoclassicism
Angelica Kauffman was taught painting by her father, Joseph Johann Kauffman, an Austrian artist, and showed exceptional skill at a young age.
Aside from portraits, Kauffman was known for her historical and mythological paintings. For instance, Queen Eleanor sucking the poison from King Edward’s arm scene.
In London, she received her pivotal role as one of the two female painters among the founding members of the esteemed Royal Academy, alongside Mary Moser.
In addition to her achievements in London, Kauffman’s talents were also recognized in Rome, where she became a member of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze in 1762.
Today, Angelica’s legacy lives on through the Angelika Kauffmann Museum in Schwarzenberg, Vorarlberg, Austria.
5. Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
- Born: 1755
- Died: 1842
- Country of Origin: France
- Style & Period: Rococo, Neoclassicism
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun established her reputation as a renowned portrait painter, notably as the portraitist for Marie Antoinette.
At the age of 19, her talent led her to face repercussions for operating as a professional artist without guild or academy membership. However, she swiftly joined the Académie de St. Luc and established herself at court by the age of 20.
Vigée Le Brun’s talent soon caught the eye of the French queen, Marie Antoinette, who honored her with membership in Paris’s prestigious Royal Academy, making her one of only four female academicians.
Due to the French Revolution and her connection to the queen, she left for Italy with her daughter, Julie, who later became an artist.
After that, she continued to paint portraits in various European cities, including Rome, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Berlin, England, and Switzerland, until she came back to France in 1809.
6. Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann
- Born: 1819
- Died: 1881
- Country of Origin: Poland
- Style & Period: Romanticism and Orientalism
Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann’s paintings are unique, drawing inspiration from European and Middle Eastern cultures.
At the age of 19, Baumann left Poland for Germany to study at the Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf, where she exhibited her work in the early period of her career.
Her early works were inspired by Slovak life, and her subject matter evolved as she traveled.
In Rome, she was particularly fond of Italian painters, and she gained success there with her paintings of local life.
Later, she gained popularity in Denmark, where she spent most of her life. Her skills also caught the eye of Queen Victoria, who requested a private showing of her paintings at Buckingham Palace.
As she traveled to the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East in 1869–1870 and 1874–1875, she had a unique opportunity to enter the harems of the Ottoman Empire. And this experience inspired her to paint many iconic paintings.
7. Rosa Bonheur
- Born: 1822
- Died: 1899
- Country of Origin: France
- Style & Period: Realism, Animalier
Rosa Bonheur is recognized for her exquisite portrayals of animals. She is also renowned as the wealthiest and most popular female artist in 19th-century France.
Her father, Oscar-Raymond Bonheur, helped her at the beginning of her art practice. This support became crucial after she faced difficulties in school and failed her seamstress apprenticeship.
Apart from studying drawing books and plaster models, Bonheur studied drawing animals around the outskirts of Paris, such as at animal markets, horse fairs, and slaughterhouses.
To deepen her understanding of animal anatomy, she studied and dissected animals at the abattoirs of Paris and the National Veterinary Institute, gaining deeper knowledge for her animal paintings.
Bonheur’s “Ploughing in the Nivernais” garnered acclaim in 1849, marking the beginning of her successful career.
Her masterpiece, “The Horse Fair,” solidified her international renown, earning her admiration from none other than Queen Victoria herself during a visit to Scotland.
Later, her fascination with the American West inspired her to befriend “Buffalo Bill” Cody during his Wild West show in Paris and create a painting of him.
8. Berthe Morisot
- Born: 1841
- Died: 1895
- Country of Origin: France
- Style & Period: Impressionism
Berthe Morisot, a French painter, was a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists.
Despite her talent, Morisot faced gender-based criticism, with her paintings often described as possessing “feminine charm” or “flirtatious” by critics. These labels were never given to other impressionist painters in her time, like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
“I don’t think there has ever been a man who treated a woman as an equal, and that’s all I would have asked for, for I know I’m worth as much as they,” Morisot wrote in 1890.
Morisot’s paintings usually capture moments of private, relaxed, domestic life. For example, in “In the Dining Room,” she portrayed a young woman in a relaxed pose.
This relaxed and impressionist style is also found in the portraits of Morisot’s family, such as her sister and daughter.
Identifying the influences on Berthe Morisot’s work and style is challenging, primarily because she destroyed the majority of her artwork created before 1869, possibly as a result of her dissatisfaction with early works.
9. Mary Cassatt
- Born: 1844
- Died: 1926
- Country of Origin: the United States
- Style & Period: Impressionism, Modern Art
Despite her family objections, Mary Cassatt began studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts at the age of fifteen. She was later described as one of the “three great ladies” of Impressionism.
However, due to the academy’s constraints for female students, including limits on using live models, Cassatt decided to end her formal studies. After that, she sought private instruction from masters at the École des Beaux-Arts instead.
Her artworks are distinguished by the influences of Japanese patterns and asymmetric design prints, combined with the vibrant colors and dynamic brushwork characteristic of the French Impressionist style.
One of the paintings that conveys this mix of styles is “Little Girl in a Blue Armchair.” This painting evokes feelings of awkwardness from childhood by highlighting the contrast between the child’s small stature and the adult furniture surrounding her.
Other notable paintings are Mother and Child and A Girl Arranging Her Hair.
In the Mother and Child painting, Cassatt subverts the traditional portrayal of women looking at themselves in mirrors by having both figures gaze at the child’s reflection together, emphasizing their bonds.
In Girl Arranging Her Hair, Cassatt intentionally selects an average adolescent as her subject to ensure that the painting’s appeal isn’t reliant on the model’s beauty.
10. Maria Catharina Wiik
- Born: 1844
- Died: 1926
- Country of Origin: Finland
- Style & Period: Realism, Golden Age of Finnish Art
Maria Catharina Wiik was one of the female artists during the golden age of Finnish art. She studied art with Adolf von Becker, who influenced many painters in her era.
She was well encouraged by her parents and also studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, where she later became a substitute teacher, and at the Académie Julian, one of the few private schools accepting women at the time.
Her most prominent paintings are portraits, which were accepted for the Paris Salon.
Examples of her exceptional paintings are Opera Singer Ida Basilier-Magelsen’s Portrait, Girl Carding, Portrait of Hilda Wiik, and Portrait of B. O. Schauman.
11. Laura Coombs Hills
- Born: 1859
- Died: 1952
- Country of Origin: the United States
- Style & Period: Miniature portraiture, Art Nouveau
Laura Coombs Hills, an American artist from Massachusetts, was known for her floral watercolor and pastel paintings and her miniature portraits on ivory.
Her talent and dedication led to her becoming the first miniature painter elected to the Society of American Artists.
Hills created watercolor paintings for calendars and greeting cards, drew needlework designs, and decorated pottery as a part of her income.
One of her most famous illustrations is in the 1897 calendar Dream Roses, which featured Art Nouveau-inspired drawings of young women surrounded by piles of flowers.
Throughout her career, Hills gained numerous medals at various exhibitions, such as the Paris Exposition and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
12. Helene Schjerfbeck
- Born: 1862
- Died: 1926
- Country of Origin: Finland
- Style & Period: Realism, Expressionism, Golden Age of Finnish Art
Helene Schjerbeck’s birthday, July 10, is the Day of Finnish Visual Arts. Throughout her career, her works have evolved from French-influenced realism to a distinct scraping technique and modern expressionism with flattened and expressive forms.
When she was four, Schjerbeck suffered a fall down stairs, injuring her hip. This incident left her with a lifelong limp and hindered her from attending school.
Nonetheless, Schjerbeck completed her education at the Finnish Art Society drawing school. She further honed her skills under the guidance of Westermarck at a private academy led by Adolf von Becker.
As Helene Schjerbeck painted self-portraits near the end of her life while battling cancer, she revealed the essence of mortality.
In her later portraits, she hinted at the presence of death through the dissolution of her features, like the skull under her skin.
“My portrait will have a dead expression, thus the painter reveals the soul, and I can’t help it,” she stated. “I’m searching for an expression, something gloomier, stronger.”
13. Ethel Reed
- Born: 1874
- Died: 1912
- Country of Origin: the United States
- Style & Period: Art Nouveau, Poster illustrations
Ethel Reed was a mysterious artist famous for her posters and illustrations. Despite the fact that her career was short-lived, she gained national recognition for her unique style, influenced by the art nouveau movement.
After briefly studying at the Cowles Art School when she was fifteen, Reed’s career took off when she began receiving public attention for her artwork.
In Boston, she became famous as a poster and book illustrator in the span of two years with her whimsical female figure drawings, flowing lines, and decorative motifs.
In the mid-1890s, Ethel Reed was engaged to Philip Leslie Hale, an artist whose father, Edward Everett Hale, held prominence in Boston society. However, their engagement ended, and Reed traveled to Europe with her mother in search of a new chapter of her life.
While in England, she worked on a book poster for author Richard Le Gallienne before traveling to Ireland. After this point, she vanished, and little is known about her activities until later research.
Reed struggled to find steady work and moved between countries.
Tragically, on March 1, 1912, Reed passed away at the age of 38. Her death was attributed to a coma resulting from an overdose of sulfur taken to induce sleep while battling chronic alcoholism.
14. Julie de Graag
- Born: 1877
- Died: 1924
- Country of Origin: the Netherlands
- Style & Period: Art Nouveau, De Stijl
Anna Julia “Julie” de Graag, or Julie de Graag, is a Dutch watercolorist, printmaker, and painter. She is best known for her woodcut work.
As a child, Julie de Graag’s delicate health required special attention, but she was encouraged in her artistic pursuits by her mother, who had a passion for the arts.
She later enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, where she was part of a class exclusively for women.
After completing her studies, Julie established herself as an independent artist, developing art skills with various mediums such as woodcut, embroidery, and watercolor painting.
Her artworks also include animals, flowers, portraits, and scenic village views.
Graag’s style was mostly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement. But it also showed elements of the De Stijl style or Neoplasticism, an abstract art movement in the Netherlands.
Women Artists In Modern Days
As we reflect on the journey and struggles of women painters and compare them to how many female artists there are nowadays, we can see that the tide is turning.
Even though we explored mostly artists in western history, it’s also crucial to acknowledge female artists from diverse backgrounds — across different races, cultures, and identities.
For example, one of the most phenomenal artists, Yayoi Kusama, inspired audiences with her lively polka-dot arts and installations and gained international fame at the age of 60.
Most notable female artists of the 20th and 21st centuries:
- Yayoi Kusama (contemporary artist)
- Georgia O’Keeffe (modernist painter)
- Frida Kahlo (symbolism painter)
- Alma Thomas (artist & educator)
- Hilma af Klint (abstract artist)
- Alexandra Gallagher (multidisciplinary artist)
- Barbara Kruger (conceptual artist)
- Julie Mehretu (visual artist)
- Jenny Saville (contemporary painter)
- Kara Walker (contemporary painter)
- Amy Sherald (portraitist)
Despite the rising wave of female artists, it is shocking that they are still underrepresented in the modern world.
Among the 3,050 galleries listed in the Artsy database, 10% showcase no women artists at all, while 8% feature more women artists than men. Similarly, nearly half of these galleries exhibit 25% or fewer female artists.
So, at rawpixel, we’re committed to fostering a more inclusive art community by showcasing the work of female artists and photographers, both in the public domain & from our community.
By highlighting the contributions of historical female painters alongside contemporary female artists, we honor the legacy of those who paved the way to a more inclusive future.
Written by Ketsarin J.
