After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art at The National Gallery
The ‘After Impressionism: Inventing Modern Art’ exhibition at the National Gallery in London ran from March to August 2023. It explored how artists working in Europe between the years of 1886 and 1914 built on Impressionism’s legacy to invent modern art.
The show featured iconic works by: Cézanne, Degas, Picasso, Rodin and Van Gogh - names I’m sure you recognise.
But walking around the packed show on a rainy Monday morning, it didn't take me long to notice that there were no works by women.
As I stepped out of the final gallery and counted the pieces I’d seen, I realised that my initial impression was wrong, it wasn’t that there were no works by women, there were in fact five. That’s just 5.2 percent for those who are interested in statistics.
Out of 97 works on display, five were by women.
I left the exhibition thinking not just about what I’d seen, but about everything I hadn’t. What’s especially interesting is that the exhibition catalogue includes an excellent essay by Maria Alambritis, former Vivmar Curatorial Fellow at the National Gallery, about women artists of the Avant-garde. She includes details of 17 women artists (names listed below if you want to check them out) who were creating art between 1900 and 1914.
It’s also interesting that at the same time as this exhibition was showing, there was an exhibition of works by Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian across town at the Tate Modern. But whilst Mondrian is included in the After Impressionism show, Hilma af Klint is noticeably absent.
It is quite frankly nonsense to suggest that only five women artists produced pivotal work during that period — and yet, here we are.
So, let’s look at the five pieces by women that were included in the exhibition and the artists that created them.
Camille Claudel - The Implorer
Claudel (1864-1943) was a French sculptor and associate of Auguste Rodin. Both talented and innovative, she created emotionally charged works that often explored themes of human vulnerability. Her relationship with Rodin overshadowed her career, and she struggled with recognition during her lifetime.
The Implorer (1899) is a bronze sculpture that exemplifies Claudel’s ability to convey intense emotion through the human figure. It depicts a kneeling, pleading figure, capturing a moment of desperation or prayer.
Sonia Delaunay - Young Finnish Woman
Delaunay (1885 - 1979) was a Ukrainian-born French artist and designer who became a leading figure in the Orphism movement. She worked across painting, textiles, and fashion, focusing on the interplay of colour and abstraction.
Young Finnish Woman (1907) is a striking portrait painted before Delaunay’s shift to pure abstraction. The piece blends Fauvist colour and a sense of vibrant immediacy, suggesting her early experimentation with bold hues and forms.
Broncia Koller-Pinell - The Artist’s Mother
Koller-Pinell (1863-1934) was an Austrian painter associated with the Vienna Secession movement. She worked in a style that blended Post-Impressionism and Expressionism, focusing on portraits, still lifes and interior scenes.
The Artist’s Mother showcases her skill in rendering character and emotion. Using warm tones and delicate brushstrokes, the portrait displays a sense of quiet dignity and familial connection.
Käthe Kollwitz - Pair of Lovers
Kollwitz (1867-1945) was a German artist known for her powerful depictions of social injustice, poverty and the human condition. Working primarily in printmaking, drawing, and sculpture, she focused on themes of working class struggles and grief.
Pair of Lovers (1913-1915) is a poignant example of her sculptural work, which conveys intense emotion and human connection. This bronze sculpture depicts a man and a woman entwined in a deeply emotional embrace, their bodies appearing to merge into one.
Paula Modersohn-Becker - Seated Girl with a White Shirt
Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907) was a German painter and a pioneer of early Expressionism. She is considered one of the first women to depict nude self-portraits and female figures with a stark and honest gaze.
Seated Girl with a White Shirt captures a childlike innocence and simplicity, characteristic of her earthy and introspective style.
Here are the seventeen artists that Maria Alambritis mentioned in her essay for the exhibition catalogue with links to information about them: