Biography — Review

Astonishing Women Artists

By Heather Ball
Second Story Press, 2007
ISBN 1-897187-23-4
$10.95, 120 pp, b/w photos, ages 9 – 13
www.secondstorypress.ca

This recent addition to the Women’s Hall of Fame series from Second Story Press profiles ten remarkable female artists from around the world who lived/live in different centuries from the 1500s to today:

Artemisia Gentileschi, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Emily Carr, Georgia O’Keefe, Louise Nevelson, Frida Kahlo, Elizabeth Catlett, Kenojuak Ashevak, Faith Ringgold, and Mary Pratt. These women became successful artists in a world that has historically been more likely to value work created by male artists. Despite societal and personal obstacles, they were steadfast in their resolve to pursue their artistic interests, and ultimately received the recognition they deserved. Each well-researched profile entices the reader to learn more about this intriguing woman, her life and her work, and provides a link to websites where examples of her art can be seen. A Resources section at the end of the book lists additional sources of information for further research. Other volumes in the series are: Exceptional Women Environmentalists, Incredible Women Inventors, Remarkable Women Writers, Great Women Leaders, and Spectacular Women in Space.

Reviewed by Diana Mumford

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