Women have always practised as artists, but for centuries the art world considered them mere dilettantes. Their work was derided as second-rate and they were considered intruders in a male profession. This study examines how, against the odds, they overcame these difficulties and shifts the focus away from women artists as ‘victims’ to give an account of how they actually practised their art. This stirring account documents the centuries-long struggle of gifted women who confronted the exclusionary tactics of a male-dominated art establishment but pressed ahead undaunted to gain acceptance as sought-after professionals.

Frances Borzello takes readers deep into the restricted world of women artists of the past, showing how diligently they trained themselves, set up studios, and pursued sympathetic patrons. Starting with Renaissance painters Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana, the book reconstructs the changing world of women artists as social attitudes evolved. Seventeenth-century painters Artemisia Gentileschi and Judith Leyster enjoyed success by depicting subjects relevant to women, as did eighteenth-century greats Angelica Kauffmann and Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun with their themes of motherhood. Further breakthroughs came in the nineteenth century as young hopefuls Mary Cassatt and Marie Bashkirtseff strove to be admitted to exhibiting societies and opened art schools. Finally, as equality for women advanced through the twentieth century, Augusta Savage, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, Mona Hatoum and others led the way for today's talented women to secure their rightful place in the annals of art. Now fully revised and updated, Frances Borzello's engaging narrative continues to inspire.