Women Can't Paint - Gender, the Glass Ceiling and Values in Contemporary Art

In 2013 Georg Baselitz declared that 'women don't paint very well'. Whilst shocking, his comments reveal what Helen Gorrill argues is prolific discrimination in the artworld. In a groundbreaking study of gender and value, Gorrill proves that there are few aesthetic differences in men and women's painting, but that men's art is valued at up to 80 per cent more than women's. Indeed, the power of masculinity is such that when men sign their work it goes up in value, yet when women sign their work it goes down. Museums, the author attests, are also complicit in this vicious cycle as they collect tokenist female artwork which impinges upon its artists' market value. An essential text for students and teachers, Gorrill's book is provocative and challenges existing methodologies whilst introducing shocking evidence. She proves how the price of being a woman impacts upon all forms of artistic currency, be it social, cultural or economic and in the vanguard of the 'Me Too' movement calls for the artworld to take action.

Product details

• Authors: G248, Helen Gorrill, Helen (Royal Academy of Arts Gorrill, Helen Gørrill, Helen rrill
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 29.02.2020
• EAN: 9781788310802
• ISBN: 978-1-78831-080-2
• No. of pages: 296
• Series: Int. Lib. of Modern and Contemporary Art; Criminal Practice Series
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; Kunst, allgemein, Theory of art, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, ART / Criticism & Theory, Art & Art Instruction, ART / Art & Politics, ART / History / Contemporary (1945-), ART / Women Artists, History of Art, History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, Art & design styles: from c 1960, Gender studies: women, Gender studies: women and girls, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)