The impact of women artists and designers can be observed at the heart of the greatest art movements we have seen. In recent years, the NGV has made landmark acquisitions of historical women artists that now hang on permanent display in our Collection galleries. These include Berthe Morisot, a leader of the Impressionist movement; Lavinia Fontana, one of the first professional women artists to work in Europe; and Maria Van Oosterwyck, a celebrated Dutch still life painter. However, there is more work to do.  

The NGV’s newest publication, Observations: Women in Art and Design History, collates transcripts from the landmark 2022 NGV seminar series of the same name in a beautifully bound and typeset 240-page paperback. The volume explores the work of some of the most significant women artists and designers represented in the NGV Collection, from Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614) and Mary Beale (1633-1699) to Dora Maar (1907-1997) Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) and Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011).   

Join NGV Curator Dr Maria Quirk for a free tour of works by some of the most important international women artists mentioned in the publication. Quirk will share insights into the careers and artistic outputs of artists such as Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), regarded as the first professional woman painter in Western art history, as well as Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and Anne Vallayer-Coster. 

You can also pick up a copy of Observations: Women in Art and Design History in store at NGV design store or online here. 

Speaker 

Dr Maria Quirk Curator, Collections and Research, NGV