Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World; Rachel Ignotofsky

Beautifully presented, thoroughly researched and packed full of information; this is a celebration of female artists from around the world.

In ‘Women in Art’, Rachel Ignotofsky tells the stories about the women behind the artwork. From the famous and well-known - Frida Kahlo, Zaha Hadid and Georgia O’Keefe - to the lesser known - Ruth Asawa and Tamara de Lempicka. From the women who had to fight to get their work accepted into society to the women who broke the rules in order to succeed. From those women who refused to bow to the expectations to those who refused to conform to societal norms.

Ignotofsky seamlessly paints the stories of fifty incredible women and tells of their achievements, struggles and accomplishments. The backstories of many of these artists are as fascinating as the artwork that they have created. There are those that created controversial artwork and divided opinion. There are history makers, award winners, influencers, trend setters and those that would define and inspire a generation.

Each artist is given a beautiful and detailed double page spread. On the left is an illustration of the artist which is accompanied by short text captions that cover career highlights and moments of great significance. A quote from the artist completes the page. Written on the right page is a bio of the artist which includes their early life and plenty of information about their artistic career. Short snippets featuring stand-out moments are dotted around the edge of the page and more artistic illustrations are featured.

Additional information is peppered throughout the book and includes details on the basic principles of art and design, statistics about women in art and how to build an artist’s toolkit. There is a lovely timeline that shows the progression of art from cave paintings to the present day. And not content with just fifty women, Ignotofsky adds an additional fifteen women in a brief portrait gallery at the end of the book which includes very brief bios.

This is the first book I have read by Rachel Ignotofsky and I am mightily impressed. I have already sought out more of her work and am very much looking forward to reading ‘Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win’ and ‘The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth.’

Recommended for 10+.