Overview
Women have been active in the arts for as long as men, but they have been oft-overlooked and routinely dismissed as great artists. They have been treated as assistants, copycats of their famous husbands, or only dabbling in a casual hobby while many men made careers out of art. Despite these obstacles, women artists have not cowed away and have instead earned their fair share of the spotlight.
Grace Hartigan (American, 1922–2008) is now considered one of the greatest artists in the second generation of Abstract Expressionists but previously used the pseudonym “George Hartigan” to avoid gendered stereotypes of the mid-20th century. Lee Krasner (American, 1908–1984) too struggled to earn recognition as a women artist, as she was often ignored in favor of her well-known husband, Jackson Pollock. Contemporary artists Bethany Collins (American, born 1984) and Amy Pleasant (American, born 1972) also work with abstract forms that address stereotypes and assumptions.
The artists featured in Alternative Abstractions work with abstract shapes and forms in exciting ways that command attention based on the work, not their gender.
Above: Grace Hartigan (American, 1922–2008), The Canal to the Sky (detail), 1960–1961, screen print on paper, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association Purchase, 1995.2.3.1
The artists featured in Alternative Abstractions work with abstract shapes and forms in exciting ways that command attention based on their work, not their gender.
Organizer
Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama.
