Arts·Commotion

This art historian wants people to know the story of art — without men

Art historian Katy Hessel's new book, The Story of Art Without Men, documents 500 years of female artists and their influence around the world.

Katy Hessel's new book is dedicated to writing female artists back into history

A composite image of art historian Katy Hessel sitting in a yellow suit smiling into the camera with her head resting on her hand, and the cover of her book The Story of Art Without Men.
Art historian Katy Hessel and her book, The Story of Art Without Men. (Lily Bertrand-Webb, Hutchinson Heinemann)

When art historian Katy Hessel walked into an art fair in 2015, she found herself asking: where are all the women? 

The work of female artists wasn't featured in most of the galleries or books she studied. So, she compiled her own research into a book chronicling 500 years of influential female artists and the impact of their work on the world.

Aptly titled The Story of Art Without Men, Hessel joined Commotion's Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about her book and what she learned from writing it.

LISTEN | Today's episode now available on YouTube:


Interview with Katy Hessel produced by Nikky Manfredi.