My fellow art lovers, While there are several galleries and museums worldwide that have launched their versions of “Women in Art” exhibitions to help address the gender disparity in artist visibility, to my knowledge it has only rarely been done in an auction setting. The women that are represented in this catalogue each had their own struggles, whether it was to be married to another artist whom almost certainly overshadowed their own careers, being less prolific because of societal pressures to stay home and raise a family, or the treatment of their art as a “hobby”. Despite more women being enrolled in art school (6075% at the university level [Steinhauer]), they are less represented as fine artists in galleries, museums, and at auction. Acknowledging “discovery and subsequent recognition is the lifeblood of the art world” (Gaudens, p. xii), I see this catalogue as a celebration of female artists, their struggles, and their passion, and my goal is to illuminate the works of underrepresented artists working from the 19th century through today. By giving these pieces an elevated platform, the quality of the works speak for themselves. In the auction world, putting together any sale is always a labor of love. Part of you has to love what you sell, as creating a catalogue is no small task. Our job is to make it look easy to the outside world, but in truth, it is hard, time consuming, and takes an entire team of dedicated people to pull it all together. I am proud of this sale and am happy to see it come to fruition; I am also excited to see it grow and evolve in the coming years. My aspiration is that our next Women in Art catalogue will be even more diverse and have an emphasis on influential Post-War and Contemporary women artists such as Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Marilyn Minter, and the Guerilla Girls, all of whom were massively influential in the progression of feminist and political art. This catalogue was made possible by the support I received from the other specialists who asked every client, vetted and actively called all their sources to find special pieces; our clients who were excited by and supported my vision or who consigned to the sale; my mentor Katie Halligan for her amazing essay contributions that showcased some of these women; my colleague Kim Jarand for being the sounding board to help launch this idea; and the entire team at Moran’s who worked together in various capacities to make the idea a reality. Warm wishes, Morgana Blackwelder Fine Art Director
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