Something Revealed; California Women Artists Emerge, 1860-1960

Historically marginalized? Relegated to “Sunday painters”? Encouraged to paint or sculpt children, still lifes, puppies, kittens, ducklings and a random landscape? 

Something Revealed; California Women Artists Emerge, 1860-1960 stands to dispel the misconception that women were limited in their subject matter and demonstrate that women, especially here in California, have historically made their mark in a male dominated world. Even today, the role of men in the annals of art history frequently overshadows the artistic accomplishments made by women. The exhibition will show a long history of excellence in female-created art and prove that women could and did contribute to the evolution of style, technique, and exploration in the world of art.

This exhibition of more than 300 artworks showcases just a fraction of the countless number of women who were working in the arts beginning in the mid-nineteenth century in California. From traditional to abstractions, focusing on works produced between the mid-1800s through the 1950s, the exhibition presents an eclectic array of oil paintings, works on paper, ceramics, metalcraft, textiles and sculpture. 

The exhibition, loosely divided into themes, explores the wide breadth of what women could and did accomplish as they overcame any notion that their art was in anyway inferior to their male counterparts. Curated by Maurine St. Gaudens Studio and accompanied by St. Gaudens' four volume book, Emerging from the Shadows; A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960, this exhibition will stimulate conversations and shatter any preconceived notions of the limitations of art created by women.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

Image: Dorr Bothwell (1902-2000)

 Emerging from the Shadows, Vol. I: A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960

Emerging from the Shadows, Vol. II: A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860-1960