Women have been fighting to be seen as professional artists for hundreds of years.

Dr Kate Lister explores a brand new exhibition at the Tate Britain that features the work of over 100 female professional artists: 'Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920'. Kate investigates the challenges these women faced, from their fight to take part in exhibitions, to being accepted, to training, to painting whatever they wanted, including war scenes and the nude.

We first look into some of the first works by a female professional artist, the Tudor Miniaturist, Levina Teerlinc, before diving deep into the 17th century and how women were firmly placed as ‘amateurs’ painting just as a ‘hobby’, but even then, if we look closely we there were exceptions to the rule to be found. Women like the 17th century portrait painter Mary Beale.

Kate looks at the work of Sarah Biffin, a woman cruelly exhibited at sideshows for her disabilities before becoming a successful artist, using her mouth to paint glorious images, even selling paintings to Queen Victoria. Then we jump forward to the end of the 19th century and uncover the fight for women to be able to paint the nude with Curator Tabitha Barber. Finally Kate meets Assistant Curator Tim Batchelor to discover the obstacles women like Elizabeth Butler faced to fight ‘unsuitable’ scenes such as war scenes.

Kate finds out how these artworks aren’t just art, but a vision of these women’s lives showcasing their lives and their stories. And these are just the stories that have been found so far, imagine how much has been disregarded, lost or destroyed and how much more could still be uncovered…who knows what we’ll find next!

Let us know your favourite artworks in the comments!

Visit ‘Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920’ at the Tate Britain until the 13th October 2024.

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/women-artists-in-britain-1520-1920

Want to find out even more? Listen to Kate's podcast, Betwixt the Sheets. In the episode 'How Nudes Changed Britain' hear Kate have an in-depth conversation with 'Now You See Us' curator, Tabitha Barber, on what the art world would have been like for Victorian women, why painting nudes was so vital, and the incredible social movements this issue became part of. You can listen to it here: https://pod.link/1612090432