Exhibition 31 women: Peggy Guggenheim and female avant-garde art

Discover the exhibition 31 Women organized by Peggy Guggenheim

What place did women artists occupy in the avant-garde movements of the 20th century, like Dadaism or Surrealism? Often, their work was obscured by the careers of their own partners, who were also artists. The famous art collector Peggy Guggenheim wanted to reverse this situation and organized the show Exhibition by 31 Women (1943) at her New York gallery “Art of This Century”. Thus was born one of the first exhibitions in the United States, and the world, to showcase works created exclusively by women, from both Europe and North America.

31 Women. An exhibition by Peggy Guggenheim is a recognition of her efforts as a patron and a tribute to the work of the 31 women to whom she dedicated this historic exhibition.

Women artists who transformed the history of art

If anything characterized the creators who participated in The 31 Women Collection, it was their need to escape the label of “woman artist” which, at the time, was a cliché charged with limiting stereotypes.

These women’s attitude to life was a declaration of principles against social expectations and gender roles dictated by bourgeois ideology. Rebellious, independent and committed, each of them knew how to question and expose the patriarchal assumptions on which movements such as surrealism and abstract expressionism were based. 

Dates, works and women artists in the exhibition

From September 19 to January 5, 2025, the exhibition on Peggy Guggenheim and her exhibition featuring 31 women at Fundación MAPFRE will celebrate the historic show organized by this woman, collector and patron of the arts in 1943. The works that the public will be able to admire in Madrid include:

Forgotten Like this Parapluie am I by You – Faithless Bernice! (1923-1924), by the German artist Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. Elsa was the foremost female artist of Dadaism. She sculpted, wrote avant-garde poetry -sometimes illustrated with drawings- and gave street performances.

Woman in Armor I (1938), by the Argentine Leonor Fini. This artist was practically self-taught and through painting, theater, book illustrations, and object and costume design, she explored the masculine and the feminine, dominance and submission, eroticism and humor.

Juno and Vulcan (1936), by the Serbian artist Milena Pavlovic-Barilli. Her work is very varied and ranges from portraits to imaginative interpretations of biblical stories. Themes often include dreamlike situations, veils, angels and statues of the goddess Venus.

The Fourteen Daggers (1942), by Kay Sage. Oval shapes, geometric forms, deserted landscapes and human figures wrapped in draped fabrics, compositions resolved in diagonal lines… Kay Sage’s surrealist creations are as subjugating as they are enormously unfamiliar.

The Middle Way/The Great Mother Rules the Sky by Buffie Johnson; Foam by Sonja Sekula; Roxbury, Astres, by Jacqueline Lamba; Gray Day, by Aline Meyer Liebman; and Spanish Manners, by Dorothea Tanning, are some of the many works on display at Fundación MAPFRE.  

Peggy Guggenheim: promoting women in art

Peggy Guggenheim was a passionate advocate for women in art, a field that had traditionally been closed to them. The fact that she included works by women painters in her collection helped to raise the visibility and change the perception of female artistic talent. Peggy Guggenheim fostered collaborative networks, solidarity and friendship among many women artists of the time who, until then, had not had the opportunity to exhibit their work or share their artistic concerns in public due to social conventions. 

Peggy Guggenheim’s collection

Held in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a must-see for all art lovers. With over 300 works, including paintings, drawings and sculptures, the collection spans a wide range of artistic movements -from surrealism to abstract art- and reflects her passion and commitment to the avant-garde and new forms of expression, as well as challenging conventions.

Inaugurated in 1951 on the banks of the Grand Canal, the museum also offers a glimpse into Peggy’s own life and her bohemian lifestyle, far ahead of its time. Passion, creativity and courage are the cornerstones of this space that exhibits great masterpieces by geniuses such as Ernst, Dalí, Mondrian, Giacometti, Pollock and Masson.  

Peggy Guggenheim’s influence on modern art

As a collector, Peggy Guggenheim not only contributed to the visibility of female artistic talent in the 20th century, but as a patron, she also promoted the work of such outstanding artists as Jackson Pollock, Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst. Many emerging artists of the time, especially surrealists and expressionists, found in her comprehension, financial support and an unparalleled showcase through which to display their work.

This spirit lives on even today: her museum in Venice, the site of the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, is a leading center for contemporary art tasked with preserving and exhibiting creations that reflect this innovative vision and commitment to the artistic avant-garde.

Women in the history of art: works and artists who left their mark

The role of women in the history of art has been far from easy. Their path has been marked by significant barriers against which many female artists have struggled, defying cultural and social regulations that denied their voice and their way of understanding and representing the world:

• Sofonisba Anguissola was a leading Renaissance artist, born in Italy in 1532. Her life and work are a testimony to the struggle for equality in art. Her talent and perseverance led her to rise to prominence and gain recognition until she became the court painter of King Philip II.
• Artemisia Gentileschi, a 17th century painter, is an outstanding representative of female resistance. Gentileschi, who suffered rape and struggled for recognition in a hostile environment, used her art to express and try to alleviate her pain. In addition to a masterful example of tenebrism, her work now symbolizes the struggle of women in art.
• Berthe Morisot, a 19th century French artist, became a key figure in Impressionism, bringing a unique perspective on the private, everyday life of women. She was the first woman to join the impressionist group and her style, characterized by loose brushstrokes and a soft palette, influenced many of her contemporaries.
• Frida Kahlo, a 20th century artist, is a great example of how art can be a means to express pain from a feminine perspective. A feminist icon, her work has inspired many women to explore their own identity through art.
• Georgia O’Keeffe, famous for her depictions of flowers and landscapes of the American Southwest, defied gender conventions by becoming one of the first artists to be recognized in the field of modern art.

Women in the Visual Arts: sculpture, painting and more

Beyond aesthetics, art is a vehicle for expression and a powerful tool for change. The history of women in the visual arts demonstrates this: many female artists have used their creativity, not only to express their vision of the world, but also to challenge established regulations and claim their place in a society that has often silenced them.

From Renaissance women painters who struggled for recognition in a male-dominated field, to revolutionary women artists throughout the history of art, to surrealist artists and contemporary creators addressing issues of identity, gender and social justice, women’s art has been a cry of resistance. With each painting, drawing, sculpture or performance, these women artists have stepped forward to highlight struggles that are often ignored. In short, an act of courage intended to provoke a reaction and bring about changes in society.

The most iconic works in history

Beyond artistic mastery, each of them also reflects the need to express a feeling that society tried to gag them. This is a selection of some of the most iconic works by women in the visual arts:

• “Self-Portrait”, by Sofonisba Anguissola: with her head held high, Sofonisba’s gaze defies a world that in the sixteenth century did not look kindly on a woman dedicating herself to art. Furthermore, the author portrays herself painting a picture with a religious theme, quite scandalous for the time.
• “Judith slaying Holofernes”, by Artemisia Gentileschi is not only a masterful example of tenebrism, but also a powerful representation of female resistance. A victim of rape, through this painting Artemisia Gentileschi vented her anger, as the rapist was never punished and she was subjected to a denigrating public trial.
• “Altarpiece No. 1”, by Hilma Af Klimt. When we think of abstract art, the name of Wassily Kandinsky comes to mind, but the reality is that it was this Swedish artist who pioneered this trend. Greatly misunderstood, Af Klimt kept her work secret, and it was only made public in 1986, twenty years after her death. Even so, the official historiography does not accept that a woman was the originator of abstract art.
• “Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti)”, by Tamara de Lempicka, is emblematic of Art Deco and a reference for feminism, as the intense gaze of the artist herself challenges the masculine world in which she lives. 
• “Summer’s Day”, by Berthe Morisot. One of just five female painters who managed to break into the exclusive circle of the Impressionists. The harmony of the composition, the beautiful light, the delicacy of the image and the freshness of the result are some of the features of this painting that presents brushstrokes as thick as they are free.
• “White Iris No. 7”, by Georgia O’Keeffe. Known as the “mother of modern American art,” O’Keeffe was best known for her large-scale paintings of natural forms, especially flowers and bones, and for her depictions of New York skyscrapers. Creating a style all her own, her independent spirit opened many doors for a host of artists inspired by her work.

Feminist art: women breaking barriers in the 20th century

Although the concept of feminist art could be applied to many famous women painters throughout history, the real movement to assert the role of women in the history of art began in the 1960s, highlighting gender inequalities and the injustice of the patriarchal system.

There was no time to lose, so there was no room for subtlety in their creations. That is why these painters spoke openly, transparently in their works -sometimes in a stark manner- bringing to the debate data, facts, names and realities to be transformed.

What is feminist art and how has it evolved through history?

As the 20th century progressed, the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s prompted many artists to question the representations of women in art and society. Women artists wanted to obtain the same rights as men within the established art world.

This demand for equal representation was introduced in the Art Workers’ Coalition’s (AWC) Statement of Demands, a declaration developed in 1969 that urged museums to provide free admission, longer hours, better representation of ethnic minorities, and demanded that they encourage female artists to overcome centuries of damage done to the image of women as artists by establishing equal representation of the sexes in exhibitions, museum purchases, and on selection committees.

Feminist artists who defined the 20th century movement

Although Louise Bourgeois and Eva Hesse are considered to be some of the earliest feminist artists, at the beginning of the 20th century, Judy Chicago, with her work The Dinner Party, marked the dawn of this new way of understanding art as a platform for the vindication of women.

Other famous female painters included Barbara Kruger, who used the language of pop culture and the power of images to convey her messages; Carolee Schneemann and her experimental visual art, which was a reference in terms of the exploration of the female body; Ringgold, and other black women artists, who sought a black cultural consciousness based on recovering black historical memory and pan-African spirituality.

Other relevant exhibitions at Fundación MAPFRE

Fundación MAPFRE’s commitment to women and art is a constant feature of its exhibition program.  The exhibition Amazons of New Art (2008) is particularly noteworthy, in which women’s role in the development of modern art was highlighted through the work of forty-one women artists representing different movements and styles between 1880 and 1950. Great names such as Leonora Carrington, Ilse Bing, Anastasya Samoylova, and more recently, the work of Consuelo Kanaga, one of the first female photojournalists, and the work of Chilean Paz Errázuriz, are just a small sample of the extent to which the female voice is present at Fundación MAPFRE.

Women and art: must-see exhibitions

Currently, another of the art shows hosted by Fundación MAPFRE is the exhibition “Paul Durand-Ruel and the Twilight of Impressionism”. This exhibition, which showcases the work of this great art dealer and patron, guardian of the art of his time, has a curious relationship with one of the great female Impressionist painters: Morisot. Paul Durand-Ruel was a fervent supporter and promoter of the work of the Impressionists, whom he supported not only financially, but emotionally. In addition to the work of Berthe Morisot, this patron also represented the painter Mary Casatt and strongly backed the work of them both.

Buy tickets and prepare your visit. Discover the role played by these women who changed the course of the history of art.