| Abstract: |
Recent decades have witnessed an outpouring of research on the contributions
of women artists. But as is typical in the humanities, these studies have been
qualitative, and consequently do not provide a systematic evaluation of the
relative importance of different women artists. A survey of the illustrations
of the work of women artists contained in textbooks of art history reveals
that art historians judge Cindy Sherman to be the greatest woman artist of the
twentieth century, followed in order by Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois,
Eva Hesse, and Frida Kahlo. The life cycles of these artists have differed
greatly: the conceptual Sherman, Hesse, and Kahlo all arrived at their major
contributions much earlier, and more suddenly, than the experimental O'Keeffe
and Bourgeois. The contrasts are dramatic, as Sherman produced her greatest
work while in her 20s, whereas Bourgeois did not produce her greatest work
until she had passed the age of 80. The systematic measurement of this study
adds a dimension to our understanding of both the role of women in
twentieth-century art and the careers of the major figures. |