It’s true—women who wanted to participate in the visual arts were kept from learning alongside the men of their era—and not all that long ago. Considered the “fairer sex,” it was socially unacceptable for women to render the nude figure, let alone participate in an academy class that worked with live models.
Women were also labeled as “less than” their male counterparts, considered inferior on a multitude of levels—including intellectually—and therefore incapable of contributing anything worthwhile. This “curse” kept the majority of women artists from participating on a serious level at annual salons or earning solo exhibitions at prominent museums and galleries. Thus, many of their names scattered on the winds of history.
Mary Beth Edelson (1933-2021), Some Living American Women Artists, 1972. Cut-and-pasted gelatin silver prints with crayon and transfer type on printed paper with typewriting on cut-and-taped paper, 28¼ x 43 in. Purchased with funds provided by Agnes Gund, and gift of John Berggruen (by exchange). © 2025 Mary Beth Edelson
Despite all these attempts to marginalize women in the visual arts and in other male-dominated arenas, progress has, and continues, to be made. Although it has been a much longer, rougher road for female artists, not only did they rise through the ranks, but they inspired change, brought innovation to their fields, influenced trends and had an impact that can still be felt today.
Today, we see contemporary women artists succeeding, advancing and gaining greater recognition due to the foundation that their predecessors built. We also see forgotten, overlooked or undervalued historic women artists taking center stage, as galleries and museums make them the focal point of exhibitions, auction houses validate the value of their work, and collectors buy artwork by women artists with intention.
Christie’s, The Red Maple at Lake George, 1926. Oil on canvas, 36 x 30 in., by Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), signed with initials ‘OK’ in artist’s star device on the original backing. Estimate: $10/15 million. Available in Christie’s November 20th Century Evening Sale.
The remainder of this special section honors and celebrates historic women artists—from the world famous to those emerging from the shadows of history—by highlighting key artworks in museum exhibitions, as well as available works through galleries, art dealers and in upcoming auctions.
In mid-November, two very important works by iconic women artists will come to market during Christie’s 20/21 Marquee Week: Mary Cassatt’s Femme portant un bonnet noir et vert, cousant, and Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1926 floral The Red Maple at Lake George. The Cassatt painting, with an estimated value of $800,000 to $1.2. million, will appear in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, while the O’Keeffe, estimated at $10 to $15 million, will be auctioned during the 20th Century Evening Sale.
Left: Vincent Vallarino Fine Art, The Green Gate - Study for a Portrait, 1916. Oil on canvas 30 x 25 in., signed lower left, signed on the frame and titled verso, by Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935). Right: Christie’s, Femme portant un bonnet noir et vert, cousant, ca. 1889-1890. Oil on canvas 24 x 19¼ in., by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Estimate: $800/1,200,000. Available in Christie’s November Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale.
In reference to the Cassatt painting, Christie’s senior specialist Paige Kestenman says, “Formerly in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Femme portant un bonnet noir et vert, cousant closely relates to two pastels in museum collections, Young Woman in a Black and Green Bonnet, Looking Down of the Princeton Art Museum, and Woman Arranging Her Veil of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Here, Cassatt’s vigorous brushwork and bold use of color relates to the spontaneity of the impressionists, while the delicate treatment of the diligently working hands focuses the viewer’s attention and draws a sense of importance to her subject.
“The Red Maple at Lake George exemplifies the distinctive theme that has become synonymous with [Georgia O’keeffe’s] celebrated career: the transformation of a small, ordinary object of nature into an extraordinary modernist interpretation,” continues Kestenman. “While predominantly known for her magnified flowers, The Red Maple at Lake George applies this theme to the subject of a leaf inspired by a maple tree on her husband Alfred Steiglitz’s Lake George family home. With its fiery vivid reds and striking abstracted forms, this large-scale painting powerfully communicates the beauty and, moreover, the complexities and contradictions within nature that O’Keeffe explored her entire life as embodied within the humble leaf.”
Left: Vincent Vallarino Fine Art, A Blue Sky (Mecox Bay), 1969. Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 in., signed and dated lower right, by Jane Freilicher (1924-2014). Right: Sotheby’s, Untitled (Woman with Birdcage, Tree and Nest), 1949. Oil on Masonite, by Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977). Estimate: $100/150,000. Available in Sotheby’s Modern Day Auction on November 21.
Among the manifold top-tier artists and artworks in Vincent Vallarino Fine Art’s portfolio is Jessie Willcox Smith’s (1863-1935) The Green Gate - Study for a Portrait from 1916. Willcox Smith was one of the most prominent American illustrators of the early 20th century. Trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and under Howard Pyle at Drexel, she gained recognition for her illustrations in leading magazines such as Collier’s and Good Housekeeping. “Her warm, idealized images of children and mothers made her one of the most beloved illustrators of her era,” notes Vincent Vallarino. “Later in her career, she focused on portraiture at her Mount Airy home and studio, Cogshill. The Green Gate - Study for a Portrait was likely painted at Cogshill, with its studio overlooking blossoming gardens. The work depicts a young girl stepping through an arched doorway, her white dress glowing against deep green foliage and wisteria, a striking example of Smith’s mastery of light and shadow.” The painting was exhibited at her show at the Worcester Art Museum in 1916 and later in her Memorial Exhibition at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1936.
Another work available through Vincent Vallarino Fine Art is Jane Freilicher’s A Blue Sky, Mecox Bay from 1969. Freilicher (1924-2014) was an American painter associated with the New York School, admired for her lyrical, light-filled landscapes and still lifes. She studied under Hans Hofmann and became closely connected to the poets of the New York School, including John Ashbery and Frank O’Hara. “Freilicher’s paintings often depict views from her Manhattan apartment and Long Island home, blending interior and exterior spaces with a poetic sense of color and atmosphere,” says Vallarino. “A Blue Sky, Mecox Bay portrays a Southampton landscape on a sunny day, its expansive sky and luminous light rendered with airy brushwork. Freilicher’s delicate color harmonies evoke both the serenity of nature and the quiet lyricism that defines her work.”
From: Left: J. Kenneth Fine Art, Untitled, ca. 1956. Mixed media on paper, 11 x 8½ in., by Judith Lindbloom (1933-2016); Roberto Freitas American Antiques and Decorative Arts, Connecticut River Valley Scene, ca. 1880. Oil on board, 12¼ x 18 in., by Harriet Evelyn Sears (1838-1910); Sotheby’s, Large Dark Red Leaves on White, 1925. Oil on canvas, by Georgia O’Keeffe. Estimate: $6/8,000,000. Available in Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on November 20.
Sotheby’s is bringing two exciting paintings to the auction block in November—another Georgia O’Keeffe painting titled Large Dark Red Leaves on White from 1925; and Gertrude Abercrombie’s Untitled (Woman with Birdcage, Tree and Nest), from 1949. The O’Keeffe, with an estimated value of $6 to $8 million, will be featured in the Modern Evening Auction on November 20; and Abercrombie’s painting (est. $100/150,000) in the Modern Day Auction the following day.
“O’Keeffe’s diverse body of work traces her travels across the United States, documenting her time spent in Lake George, New York and New Mexico with particular fervor and repetition,” says Sotheby’s associate specialist Katie Maher. “Large Dark Red Leaves on White captures the warm, autumnal palette that characterizes many of O’Keeffe’s Lake George subjects and showcases the influence that modern photography had on her enlargement and manipulation of natural forms. Having resided in the permanent collection of the Phillips Collection since 1943, this American masterwork…speaks to a historically significant moment in the 1920s in which O’Keeffe’s concern for blending figuration with abstraction would set the tone for the remainder of her influential artistic career.”
Kraushaar Galleries, Florence Reed, plaster 1920 (this cast: 1966). Bronze, 12 in., by Ethel Myers (1881-1960).
Chicago-based artist Abercrombie is best-known for her hauntingly surreal paintings full of recurring, often autobiographical, motifs. “Untitled (Woman with Birdcage, Tree and Nest) features some of the artist’s most enduring imagery,” continues Maher. The piece was painted a year after Abercrombie divorced. “Abercrombie’s free-flowing dress and outstretched arms give the viewer a sense of ease in the composition, perhaps in light of her fresh start.”
In the holdings of Kraushaar Galleries of New York are works by Ethel Myers (1881-1960), a realist known for her insightful and often humorous portrayals of both working class and society figures in New York City. Inspired by the Ashcan artists, its leader Robert Henri and her eventual husband Jerome Myers, she captured contemporary types in sculpture and on paper. Her candid, lively assessment, mostly of women, places her within a group of urban realist artists after the turn of the 20th century. “In Ferry to North Shore, the Coney Island of Queens, Myers captures, with humor and sympathy, the frenzied characters waiting to buy boat tickets,” notes the gallery. “Myers’ small-scale painted plaster sculptures, eventually cast in bronze, usually individual figures of women, were frequently exhibited during the early 1910s, including nine at the seminal 1913 Armory Show. In 1920, when Florence Reed was starring in the Broadway production of Mirage, Myers created the plaster for this bronze.”
Left: J. Kenneth Fine Art Untitled, 1956. Mixed media on paper, 11 x 8½ in., signed and dated, by Judith Lindbloom (1933-2016). Right: Roberto Freitas American Antiques and Decorative Arts, Fantasy Beach, 1983. Oil on Masonite, 26½ x 30½ in., signed and dated lower right ‘Martha Cahoon ‘83’, titled verso on Cotuit Arts Festival label, by Martha Cahoon (1905-1999).
Lynne Mapp Drexler (1928-1999) moved to Monhegan Island permanently in 1983, where her abstract expressionist practice became more representational, and she painted the island’s surroundings and objects from everyday life. Drexler thrived in her new, rustic life and forged deep connections with the island and its people. Her mature work from this period is prized for lyricism, energy, warm familiarity, and sense of place. Featured in Swann Auction Galleries’ Contemporary Art Sale on November 13 is a selection of works by Drexler including two colored pencil works from the late 1980s: Flowers, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000, and Still Life, estimated at $5,000 to $8,000; as well as two oil-on-canvas works by the artist: Bright Path, and Blooming Garden, both estimated at $25,000 to $30,000.
J. Kenneth Fine Art showcases two works by abstract expressionist Judith Lindbloom (1933-2016), whose estate the gallery represents. When Lindbloom moved to New York City in the summer of 1953, she became acquainted with fellow artists such as Joan Mitchell, Willem de Kooning, John Chamberlain and Franz Kline. The work of Mitchell and de Kooning laid the foundation for her style and method of painting. Like many others in the art scene of 1950s New York, Lindbloom ingratiated herself into the vibrant social scene, and became well-known among jazz circles. Gil Evans, Steve Lacy and Sonny Rollins were admirers of her paintings. Just as her work was beginning to be recognized by galleries and collectors, the escalation of her recreational drug habit, the unexpected death of her partner Gloria Granger and ensuing depression led to a prolonged hiatus in her career. Decades later, in 1980, Lindbloom entered a second period of artistic creativity. “Even though the aesthetic and ideals of abstract expressionism had fallen out of favor as an art movement, Lindbloom stayed true to her own artistic vision by continuing to explore abstraction,” says gallerist John Kenneth Alexander. “In 2000, she had her first solo show at the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, New York; and was commissioned to be the cover artist for many Roaratorio record label releases. Lindbloom passed away in 2016.
Left: Canton Museum of Art, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936. Gelatin silver print, 197/8 x 16 in., by Dorothea Lange (1895-1965). Collection of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts; Gift of the Kalamazoo Photo Guild, 1966/7.85. Right: Canton Museum of Art, An Interesting Book, 1890. Watercolor on paper, 10¼ x 14¼ in., by Claude Hirst (1855-1942). Collection of the Canton Museum of Art; Purchased with funds from the Doran Foundation in memory of Edward A. and Rosa J. Langenbach.
Based in Stonington, Connecticut, Roberto Freitas American Antiques & Decorative Arts also deals in fine historic art. Among his current offerings is Connecticut River Valley Scene by Harriet Evelyn Sears (1838-1910), who came from a prominent family in Lyme, Connecticut. “While there is no available information regarding her training as an artist, her talent speaks for itself,” notes the gallery. “The present painting, impressionistic in style, is executed with skill—a tranquil space with lights and shadows filtering through the leaves, conveying a peaceful and serene atmosphere. This painting descended in the artist’s family until 1977, [and] we are very pleased that this painting once again has returned to Connecticut, serving as a testament to local history and one woman’s talent.”
Roberto Freitas also has a later work by Martha Farham Cahoon (1905-1999), the daughter of Swedish immigrants who received her training from her father, a talented furniture decorator. She married Ralph Cahoon in 1932, and the couple carried on the tradition of painting furniture while also starting to paint fine art. “Together the couple added their own whimsical touch,” shares the gallery. “In the present example, Fantasy Beach, a mermaid is waving to a family on the beach. The transition from beach to grass is illustrated with smooth colors, delicate flowers adorn the lower edge of the painting. Left, the adults, a uniformed man and his wife, are having a moment alone, while the children and dog at play are waving to the mermaid.”
Left: Kraushaar Galleries, Ferry to North Beach, ca. 1905. Ink and pencil on paper, 7½ x 9¼ in., by Ethel Myers (1881-1960). Right: Swann Auction Galleries, Still Life, 1988. Colored pencil on wove paper, 17 x 135/8 in., by Lynne Mapp Drexler (1928-1999). Estimate: $5/8,000. Available in Swann Auction Galleries’ Contemporary Art Sale on November 13.
From left: Fenimore Art Museum, Brown and Tan Leaves, 1928. Oil on canvas, by Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986). Collection of Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust. © 2023 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Richard Walker; Swann Auction Galleries, Flowers, 1987. Colored pencil on wove paper, 11¾ x 9 in., by Lynne Mapp Drexler (1928-1999). Estimate: $4/6,000; Hawthorne Fine Art, Portrait of Elizabeth and Herbert Turner. Oil on canvas. 30 x 27½ inches, signed lower left, by Lydia Field Emmet (1866-1952).
From November 25 through March 1, 2026, Canton Museum of Art (CMA) in Canton, Ohio, will present Shattered Glass: The Women Who Elevated American Art, an original exhibition by CMA that showcases American female artists from the past 250 years who made a lasting impact on the art world. “Traditional art history has relegated many women into obscurity by rendering their contributions as ‘less than’ those of their male counterparts,” notes the museum. “The artists in the exhibit fought for their right to create alongside male contemporaries and while doing so, revolutionized the field.”
CMA has worked with museums and private collections nationwide, and drawn from its own collection, to assemble more than 100 major works and inspiring stories from women artists—never before experienced in one place. From Claude Hirst to Dorothea Lange to Judy Chicago, Shattered Glass reclaims the narrative of these exceptional American artists.
CW American Modernism, Sea Winds, ca. 1951-1975. Mixed media on board, 16 x 20 in., signed lower left, by Lucy Doane (1908-2010).
Acquired as part of Fenimore Art Museum’s American Masterworks Initiative in 2023, is another Georgia O’Keeffe leaf painting inspired by the family estate in Upstate New York. Brown and Tan Leaves, painted in 1928, is one of more than 200 works created in Lake George that, according to the museum, “represent an abstract and modernist take on panoramic views of the lake, mountains, close-ups of trees, flowers, and barns as well as intimate, yet monumental studies of leaves [which] appealed to her for their striking diversity of shape and color. In 1922, she famously wrote, ‘nothing is less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things.’” Brown and Tan Leaves is on view at Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York, through December 31.
A current highlight at Hawthorne Fine Art is a round-formatted portrait by American impressionist Lydia Field Emmet (1866-1952). The painting, which depicts siblings Elizabeth and Herbert Turner, descendants of the prominent Park-McCullough family of Vermont, was included in an exhibition of the artist’s work at William Clausen’s gallery on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan during the winter of 1907. A Hawthorne Fine Art representative notes, “Highly respected for her portraits of women and children, the portrait is one of numerous commissions Emmet received over the course of her career from patrons seeking, according to the New York Times on Saturday, January 12, 1907, ‘something more colorful and true to life than photographs as a reminder of the fleeting beauty of youth.’ Completed in 1906, the portrait is noted in Emmet’s account book.”
CW American Modernism, East River (Untitled), ca. 1940s. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 in. signed lower right, by Isabella Banks Markell (1891-1980).
The sitters, Elizabeth and Herbert Turner, were the grandchildren of former Vermont Governor John G. McCullough (1835-1915) and the great-grandchildren of Trenor W. Park, president of the Panama Railroad Company. Herbert Turner grew up to become an accomplished architect. He built the Bennington Free Library in 1936 beside the library established by his great-grandfather five decades earlier.
CW American Modernism is a Los Angeles-based private gallery specializing in 20th-century American art with a particular focus on the period between 1910 and 1960. “We believe in the importance and relevance of this art and the people who created it to today’s world and we take pride in researching and helping rediscover the forgotten stories that art and artists from the past can tell us about their world and ours,” says gallery owner Chris Walther. “These two paintings are typical of the works we represent, as each is by an artist who was well known and exhibited during their lifetime, but who have fallen outside the mainstream art historical canon. Employing different styles and exploring different artistic and societal concerns, each of these female painters captures moments from a just irretrievably lost past.” —
Featured Museums, Galleries and Auction Houses
Canton Museum of Art
1001 Market Avenue N. Canton, OH 44702 t: (330) 453-7666 www.cantonart.org
Christie’s New York
20 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10020 t: (212) 636-2139 www.christies.com
CW American Modernism
Los Angeles, CA By Appointment Only t: (310) 383-0463 cwamericanmodernism@gmail.com www.cwamericanmodernism.com
Fenimore Art Museum
5798 State Highway 80 Cooperstown, NY 13326 t: (607) 547-1400 www.fenimoreartmuseum.org
Hawthorne Fine Art
Manhattan Showroom By Appointment Only t: (212) 731-0550 info@hawthornefineart.com www.hawthornefineart.com
J. Kenneth Fine Art
145 Pine Haven Shores Shelburne, Vermont 05482 t: (802) 540-0267 jkennethfineart@gmail.com www.jkennethfineart.com
Kraushaar Galleries
15 E. 71st Street, Suite 2B New York, NY 10021 t: (212) 288-2558 staff@kraushaargalleries.com www.kraushaargalleries.com
National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20005 t: (202) 783-5000 www.nmwa.org
Roberto Freitas American Antiques & Decorative Arts
107 Water Street Stonington, CT 06378 t: (860) 535-1797 info@robertofreitas.com www.robertofreitas.com
Sotheby’s New York
1334 York Avenue New York, NY 10021 t: (212) 606-7000 www.sothebys.com
Swann Auction Galleries
104 E. 25th Street New York, NY 10010 t: (212) 254-4710 www.swanngalleries.com
Vincent Vallarino Fine Art
222 E. 49th Street New York, NY 10017 t: (212) 628-0722 info@vallarinofineart.com www.vallarinofineart.com
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