The Most Famous Female Artists in History

When it comes to famous pieces of art, it is usually those from the Italian Renaissance that spring to mind.

Names like Edvard Munch, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet are often heard, but rarely are the women mentioned.

Perhaps the reason for this is that until about 100 years ago, women were not allowed to attend art school and were banned from painting a nude male, a classic art exercise.

Despite their many restrictions, there are many famous female painters who have left their mark on history.

In this article, there are five remarkable women who are either among the most renowned painters in the world or are famous female artists in history.

Artemisia Gentileschi

One famous female painter who made her mark even though she really struggled with gender bias of the day was Artemisia Gentileschi.

Born in Rome in 1593 Artemisia’s introduction to painting was through her father. After her mother died, Artemisia and her brothers spent much time in their father’s studio where her talents outshone those of her brothers.

Artemisia’s talents were perfectly suited to the post-renaissance Baroque era when Caravaggio-influenced paintings were in vogue.

Artemisia was a famous female painter who became known for her biblical scenes. Some of her most well-known work included scenes of:

• Cleopatra
• Susannah and the Elders
• Judith Slaying Holofernes
• Judith and her Maidservant
• Penitent Magdalene

Artemisia is one of the most renowned painters for mastering the female form whether it was draped, nude or fully clothed. Her talent was demonstrated many times including in her self-portrait work.

As a trailblazing artist, Artemisia’s use of light, shadow and colour made her a famous female painter of the Baroque era.

Mary Cassatt

Fast-forward 250 years, to an area near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania where famous female painter, Mary Cassatt was born into a large and illustrious family.

Instrumental to Mary’s artistic talent, was her mother who was of the belief that a good education included familiarity with art, travel and exploration.

If it had not been for Mary’s mother who ensured that she visit the major European capitals and encouraged her art education, she would not have become one of the most famous female artists in history.

A career as one of the most renowned painters of her time suited Mary who did not want to marry and have children. She furthered her talent by studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts which sadly infuriated her father but delighted her mother.

Even though she was not allowed to work with male models, she endured the largely patronising education offered by a male-dominated curriculum.

While there were other women in her class because painting was considered a worthy social skill, it was unusual for Mary to hope to pursue a career in art. In spite of the discrimination against her, Mary set off for Paris where she encountered much of the same prejudice. Fortunately, she was able to befriend other impressionist painters like Edgar Degas which added to her development.

Mary Cassatt remains one of the most renowned painters of our time and her paint-or-die attitude certainly helped to put other famous female painters on the map.

Frida Kahlo

Famous female painter, Frida Kahlo, made her debut three years before Mary Cassatt was forced to give up painting due to blindness. Making her entrance in a small town in Mexico, Frida was born in 1907. Sadly, her unhappy childhood gave way to a habit of exaggerating. One example was how she claimed to have been born three years later in 1910 which was the year of the Mexican Revolution so that she would be more popular with revolutionaries on her college campus.

Of all the famous female painters on this list, Frida is likely to have been the one who suffered the most.  

When she was only six, Frida contracted Polio which left her small and weak, making her a target for school bullying. After leaving the exclusive school her father had chosen for her, she enrolled in a vocational school where she was abused sexually.

Later during college, she was out with her boyfriend when the bus they were on collided with a tram. Suffering from broken ribs, pelvis and fractured legs took its toll on Frida’s well-being.

Through months of inactivity to recuperate, Frida discovered that she wanted to be serious about painting. This was an extraordinary turn of events for both Frida and her family as she had been studying to become a doctor until the time of her accident.

One could say that Frida Kahlo became a famous female painter of our time because of a fateful accident which changed the course of her life.

Georgia O’Keeffe

For Georgia O’Keeffe becoming one of the most renowned painters in history was not easy. As a pioneer in modernist art, she needed great determination and courage to persevere.     

Born into a Wisconsin farming community, it would have been unlikely for Georgia to become a famous female painter had it not been for her mother who believed in a well-rounded education for her children.

Thanks to this, the O’Keeffe sisters spent one afternoon every week with a local artist. By the age of 10, it was clear that Georgia had profound artistic talent. Her love for painting was so intense that she could and would paint anything that came her way.

Tragically, after losing her sight, Georgia took up sculpture to express her artistic talent. During her life she suffered many illnesses like typhoid, measles and even the Spanish flu in 1918. As if that was not enough she was also betrayed by an unfaithful husband.

These setbacks only added to the depth and grace of her work. For Georgia and the famous flowers, she was known for, art was her life.

Georgia O’Keeffe was a famous female painter, sculptor and art teacher who left an indelible mark in the art world.

Helen Frankenthaler

Famous female painter Helen Frankenthaler is renowned for her unusual painting technique.

As a young artist, she was inspired by the work of Jackson Pollock who was a major American artist known for his slashes, splashes and drizzles across his canvasses. Helen loved his work and the more that she learned about his unique style, the more it shaped her own work.

Her famous quote, “a really good picture looks as if it’s happened at once,” was a philosophy that drove her work.

In Pollock fashion, she too positioned her large, unprimed canvases on her studio floor. However, before she applied her first drop of paint, she would experiment with a paint and turpentine mix to find the optimal ratio of colour and thinner.

After finding the desired balance, she would pour the mixture onto the canvas where it soaked into the fibres.

Helen’s paint diluting technique provided a pleasing halo to the paint making the colours more delicate. Like Pollock’s, because her canvasses were unprimed the colour which soaked into the fibres would transform the finished product of her work.

Naming her technique ‘soak stain’, Helen continued to try it on other mediums too.

When one considers the contributions that these most renowned painters made, it is surprising that their work is not more widely celebrated. In fact, it is sad to note that apart from Mary and Frida, these famous female artists' accomplishments have remained largely in the background.

Another example to illustrate this point is the work by Elaine de Kooning. As the wife of one of the most renowned painters of the day, Dutch-American Willem de Kooning, who was an expressionist painter, Elaine was lesser known. As a post-World War 2 figurative expressionist, she exhibited as a solo artist continuously from 1952 until she died in 1989. Since then her work is still shown in selected exhibitions. Today, if you visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, you will still find some of her canvasses on display. This is a coup for the famous female painter and indeed for all famous female artists in history as well as those working on leaving their mark in the current day.