The most famous female contemporary artists

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2020, Artalistic journeys through history to look at the lives of several iconic female contemporary artists who changed the art world forever. Some of them are very famous, others less so, but one thing is certain: all of them deserve to be remembered on this day dedicated to a global celebration of women’s rights.

The most influential female artists in contemporary art

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986)

Georgia O'Keefe was the wife of the famous American photographer, gallery owner and art dealer Alfred Stieglitz. O’Keeffe is rightly considered a pioneer in the field of abstract art and has been recognized as the “Mother of American Modernism.” Her paintings often feature sensual, enlarged flowers. One of her finest masterpieces, Black Iris III, is a perfect example of this theme. In 1997 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the greatest award a civilian can receive in the United States.

Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980)

Another famous contemporary female artists, Tamara de Lempicka was a Polish artist who lived in France and the United States. She is known for her contributions to the Art Deco style. Her works are easily recognizable for their colorful, geometric forms. Her Self-Portrait, Tamara in a Green Bugatti is famous around the world.

Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002)

Niki de Saint Phalle began painting at the age of 11 and is one of the leading female contemporary artists of the second half of the 20^th century. She used art to deal with her traumatic early life. Her artistic vision is often very dark but sometimes is strewn with colors, reminiscent of work by Dubuffet, Gaudi and Pollock.

Cindy Sherman 

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer who lives and works in New York. She became famous for a series of self-portraits called Complete Untitled Film Stills in which she posed in different stereotypical female roles inspired by 1950’s and 60’s Hollywood, using costumes, wigs and artificial lighting. She continued creating self-portraits throughout her career stating that she “was wrestling with some sort of turmoil of [her] own about understanding women.” Her work is very often interpreted as a critique of postmodernity that deals with the underlying issues women face in both the cultural and artistic spheres.

Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012)

Dorothea Tanning is often overshadowed by her husband Max Ernst, as is often the case with female contemporary artists who are married to iconic male artists. Tanning was a self-taught artist with remarkable talent. Her breakthrough works depict images from her dreams, for example one of her most famous pieces Birthday established her reputation as an essential figure of the Surrealism movement. Over time, this remarkable artist and sculptor ventured into the realms of abstraction. The female body was a recurring theme in her work.

Leonor Fini (1908-1996)

Like many female artists of her time, Leonor Fini started creating art without any training. She left Italy and moved to Paris at the age of 21 where she mounted her first solo exhibition. She befriended several surrealist painters and developed a passion for literature. She struck up social acquaintances with several authors such as Paul Eluard, Gérard de Nerval and Charles Baudelaire, who wrote about her.

Kay Sage (1898-1963)

American-born painter and poet, Kay Sage was married to the famous French surrealist artist Yves Tanguy. She developed a unique visual style that clearly distinguished her from the Surrealist movement. Her paintings depict architectural landscapes combining futurism and abstraction. Her canvases are dominated by bold lines and muted colors, giving the viewer an alienating feeling of despair that reflects this female artist’s pessimistic vision.

Perle Fine (1905-1988)

The Queen of Abstract Expressionism, Perle Fine began her work in the vein of abstract expressionism. Her parents immigrated to the United States from Russia and raised Perle in Boston. She took courses in the visual arts and met artists like Lee Krasner, who would later become her friend. She took classes from Hans Hofman in the 1930s. When she saw an abstract painting for the first time she fell in love with the style. Her work started to be recognized when she joined the American Abstract Artists at the Stable Gallery in 1945. This was the Mecca of abstract expressionism in New York.

Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943)

Sophie Taeuber-Arp was a Swiss artist, painter and sculptor. She is one of the most important artists of concrete art and geometric abstraction of the 20^th century. She married the well-known Dada painter Jean Arp in 1922. She dedicated her career to breaking down static, artificial boundaries between genres and forms and celebrated in the creative energy such liberation released.

Mary Martin (1907-1969)

Mary Martin was a British artist with a passion for creating abstract geometric paintings and is famous for her collaborations with her husband Kenneth Martin. She was first recognized for her landscapes and still lifes and later moved towards pure abstraction in the late 1940s. She taught drawing and design at the Chelmsford School of Art. Her signature style consists of square wall-mounted relief work that is composed of 3-D wooden cubes mounted on to wooden backboards.

Germaine Krull (1897-1985)

Germaine Krull was part of a group of early 20^th century female photographers who “could lead lives free from convention.” She was a pioneer of surrealist photography that is unfortunately not as well known as Man Ray. She knew many Dadaists and Expressionists who influenced her work, which displayed her fascination with industrial landscapes. 

Margaret Keane

Margaret Keane is an American female artist known for painting subjects with oversized eyes. Her artwork was originally attributed to her husband, Walter Keane. After their divorce in the 1960s Margaret claimed credit for the paintings and was legally recognized as the painter after years of battling in court.