Women artists in Paris, 1850-1900

This large-format book, the exhibition catalogue for a traveling exhibition by the same title, sheds light on a specific period and place in the history of women's art. Women from around the world--particularly the US and Europe (notably Nordic countries)--were attracted to Paris for the opportunity to be trained and to exhibit. This was an extremely talented group, and for the most part they were well received by those in the Paris art scene. Most notable among the three-dozen women included here are Mary Cassatt, Marie Bracquemond, and Berthe Morisot. The essays are by curators, researchers, and art historians, and are well written and thoroughly annotated. The strength of the book lies in the 89 large, high-quality plates, which are organized by themes typically found in the work of these artists. Most interesting is the first section, on portraits and self-portraits. Other themes include daily life, motherhood, landscapes, historic subjects, women's dress, and young women transitioning into adulthood. Though the final essay, "Female Painters at the Paris Salon," seems unrelated and as if it were tacked on to the end, overall this is an important book on a subject in need of documentation. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. --Anna Calluori Holcombe, University of Florida

This accompaniment to a traveling exhibition explores women artists in Paris from 1850-1900, and how their status in the art world changed during that time. Paris was an artistic mecca, and French as well as international women artists came to create and study there. Excluded from the École de Beaux Arts until 1897, many women artists attended the Académie Julien. In 1881, the Union des Femmes Peintres et Sculptures, where women exhibited their art, was founded. Two of the best-known female artists during this period, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, exhibited regularly alongside their male peers in the Impressionist Exhibitions from 1874 to 1886. Role model Rosa Bonheur regularly exhibited her animal paintings and sculptures at the Paris Salon and received the Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur in 1865. Lastly, the amount of Scandinavian women who came to Paris to work as artists rose in the 1870s, with some exhibiting in the salon or representing their home countries in the Universal Exhibitions in 1889 and 1900 and winning medals. With contributions from art historians, the text is scholarly but accessible, and beautiful color plates are divided into themes (e.g., "Self Portraits," "Lives of Women," etc.). -VERDICT Recommended for those interested in women artists or 19th-century art.-Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Univ. Lib., MA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.