Description
31 WOMEN AN EXHIBITION BY PEGGY GUGGENHEIM
Book Summary
This catalog commemorates and reinterprets the historic Exhibition by 31 Women, organized by Peggy Guggenheim in 1943 at her Art of This Century gallery. The original show was a pioneer in the United States for being dedicated exclusively to women artists. The book documents the project of collector Jenna Segal, who, following in Guggenheim’s footsteps, has acquired works by the same artists to reclaim their talent. Through a careful selection of holdings, the publication offers an updated look at a 20th-century art landmark and the role of women in the avant-garde.
What is it about?
In 1943, patron Peggy Guggenheim, advised by Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp, organized an exhibition that challenged the artistic canon of the time: displaying only works created by women. Under the title Exhibition by 31 Women, the show became a revolutionary act within the New York scene. Decades later, producer and collector Jenna Segal revived this pioneering spirit, and since 2020, has been acquiring pieces by the same artists who participated in that exhibition. This book, presented by Fundación MAPFRE, collects a selection and reinterpretation of those holdings, connecting the avant-garde past with the present to reclaim the legacy of these creators.
Main themes
- Historical reclamation of the role of women in 20th-century avant-garde art.
- Analysis of the 1943 exhibition as a pioneering milestone in the visibility of female artists.
- Collecting as a tool for memory and cultural activism.
- Dialogue between the artistic production of the 1940s and its contemporary reinterpretation.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at lovers of modern and contemporary art, art historians, students, and professionals in the cultural sector. It will also be of great interest to readers interested in the history of feminism in art, collecting, and the legacy of figures such as Peggy Guggenheim. It is an essential work for those who wish to delve into an exhibition that marked a turning point in the representation of women in the art circuit.
What this book offers
- Documents a historic exhibition that challenged gender canons in the art of the 1940s.
- Offers a visual and critical journey through the works of 31 avant-garde female artists.
- Connects the collecting of the past with a current initiative that seeks to restore the value of these creators.
- Provides a renewed perspective on a key episode of 20th-century art.
Technical specifications
- Author: HILEMAN WAITOLLER, LEKHA; MAYAYO BOST, P
- Publisher: FUNDACION MAPFRE
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: PAINTING AND PAINTINGS, EXHIBITION AND SPECIFIC COLLECTION CATALOGS
- Collection: NONE
- Publication date: September 2024
- Number of pages: 149
- Weight: 1122 g
Editorial review
This publication offers a rigorous and visually attractive approach to an exhibition that was a landmark in art history. Jenna Segal's initiative, documented in the book, adds an extra layer of contemporary relevance to Peggy Guggenheim's original project. For the public interested in the recovery of female artistic memory and in collecting as an act of reclamation, this work constitutes a valuable and well-contextualized testimony.