Take a video tour of art history's female protagonists
In celebration of International Women's Day, Fiona Alderton chooses some highlights in our collection
From teenage prodigies to a botanical expert commanding higher prices in her day than Rembrandt, find out more about some of the women artists in the collection and their pioneering paintings and careers.Â
Fiona's selection for the video includes:
Messengers by Bridget Riley
Portrait of a Man by Catharina van Hemessen
Alexandrine-Emilie Brongniart by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel by Judith Leyster
Flowers in a Glass Vase by Rachel Ruysch
Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Artemisia Gentileschi
Portrait of a Woman by Catharina van Hemessen
Self Portrait in a Straw Hat by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur
Summer's Day by Berthe Morisot
You might also like
Four women who helped shape art history
Maria Alambritis and Imogen Tedbury shine a light on some of the lesser-known women who played a crucial role in Renaissance and Early Modern artists’ studios
Women artists and sitters
Paintings and portraits by women artists as well as portraits of women artists reveal details of their experiences and their attitudes, and tell us about the sorts of opportunities they had access to in their own time
Women in our collection
Discover some of the female artists in our collection
Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi's turbulent life story often overshadows her art, but she was the most celebrated female artist of the 17th century
Rosa Bonheur
She dressed and, critics claimed, painted like a man, but Rosa Bonheur is one of the most important female artists of all time, who reached international levels of fame
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
At 15 she was painting the aristocracy, in her 20s she was the favoured painter of Marie-Antoinette, and by her 30s she was fleeing the French Revolution
Rachel Ruysch
Although largely forgotten in art history, Rachel Ruysch managed to carve a long and extremely successful career as a still life painter, whilst raising 10 children
Artemisia in her own words
Self-assured and determined, passionate and sometimes vulnerable, Artemisia’s voice is brought to life through her words and personal letters
Five heroines by Artemisia
Artemisia was famed for painting women of strength, passion and vulnerability: meet Susannah, Judith, Cleopatra, Lucretia and Esther