Cincinnati Art Museum Honors History's Overlooked Female Artists

Women Breaking Boundaries juxtaposes art by women artists from the 17th century to current times. This creates an interesting dialogue between works of different times and places about women's common issues and perceptions. “What I love about this exhibition is the way the works create conversation,” says Ainsley M. Cameron, PhD, Curator of South Asian Art, Islamic Art & Antiquities. “We’ve interspersed works from our historic collection alongside works by contemporary, living artists. By creating these unexpected pairings and juxtapositions–works that wouldn’t normally feature in the same gallery–I’m hoping our visitors pause and take notice. Self-identified female artists have been confronting the imbalance of power based in gender, social and racial politics throughout history. That’s not a new narrative. But the way we’re talking about it is.”

Using work from the permanent collection, Women Breaking Boundaries brings together a cross-departmental selection of 38 artworks from Europe, North America and Asia. The exhibition features a variety of media, including oil on canvas, metalwork, ceramics, prints, photography and fashion.

The disparate brilliance of these diverse artists is obvious. Maria van Oosterwijck’s meticulous and vibrant Flower Still Life, 1669, shows a mastery of oil painting in the 17th century Dutch Master’s style comparable to any more well known male painter. A dragonfly perches on the crinkled petals of a lush white peony while a startling variegated red and white tulip reaches skyward and orange poppies arch in the background.

In contrast, A Slight and Pleasing Dislocation (gouache and gesso on board, 1993) by Shahzia Sikander, is a powerful abstract piece.  The wonderfully organic pale shape, reminiscent of the female form, hovers against a dark background. It has the fluid magic of an undersea creature, with many connected string-like shapes for arms and feet.

The Cincinnati Art Museum has long been associated with strong female arts activists and considers promoting diverse artistic representations incredibly important. The Cincinnati Women’s Art Museum Association, founded in 1876, passionately promoted the importance of a public art museum, presiding over the construction of “The Art Palace of the West” in 1886.

Women Breaking Boundaries runs through April 12th and includes a free gallery map highlighting works by female artists and strong female subjects.