14 Mar 2024

The history of art is very different when you include the women

From Nine To Noon, 10:05 am on 14 March 2024
On the left Katy Hessel sits on a grey sofa in front of a houseplant. On the right is the cover of her book "The Story Of Art Without Men". It is a yellow cover with "The story of art" in red and "Without men" in a similar yellow font, so as to render it almost invisible.

Photo: Supplied

E. H. Gombrich's 1950 book The Story Of Art is one of art history's seminal texts. Now on it's 16th edition, it has sold over eight million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. But it has one major flaw. The first edition didn't include any women artists, whilst subsequent editions feature just one; Käthe Kollwitz.

Art historian Katy Hessel is on a mission to correct that. Her book The Story of Art Without Men re-examines art movements from the Renaissance to today, focusing on the achievements of women artists. Artists who have often been overshadowed by their male counterparts.

Hessel's book challenges the traditional narrative and celebrates the artistic genius of women. Katy is also the curator behind popular Instagram account The Great Woman Artists.

She joins Nine To Noon ahead of her May 18th appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival.