Exhibition

Persistence is a recurring theme in the history of any marginalized group, and in the fight and struggle for equality, success does not happen overnight. It is the result of tireless efforts of many unknown individuals who continued to work for a cause no matter what. In the art world, a flashpoint in the history of women artists occurred in 1971, when art historian Linda Nochlin published her landmark essay in the January issue of ARTnews in which she asked the pointed question, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”

The artists in this exhibition have their own, very specific stories to tell. For some, like Howardena Pindell and Elizabeth Catlett, they are highly personal narratives – stories of overcoming racial, gender, and/or economic hardship. For others, such as Jane Peterson, Perle Fine, and Marisol, they are accounts of contemporary success followed by historic anonymity and obscurity. While still others, like Sonia Delaunay, Bridget Riley, and Berenice Abbott, championed forgotten artists and challenging styles, giving voice to those who were unable or unwilling. Yet all these artists, undeterred by setbacks and rejections, are united not solely by their gender but by their persistent fight for art: to create art and to celebrate art by all people. All the works in this exhibition were drawn from the Museum’s extensive permanent collection.

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Funding has been provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Press Release: Hofstra Museum Reopens Its Doors to the Campus and Public

Elizabeth Catlett (American, 1915-2012), Gossip, 2005, ed. 59/200, color digital print with a photo-lithograph, 22 ½ x 24 in., Hofstra University Museum of Art, gift of Eleanor Raitt, HU2016.37