Art history is a field dominated by male artists. Throughout the canon, female artists have been largely ignored, often seen as secondary to their male counterparts. These conditions led to many women artists slipping through the cracks, with many important names lost to history. 

While many women artists have been absent from popular discussions of modern art, today, a contemporary perspective allows us to appreciate their work in a new light. The contributions of female artists, especially modernists, are revolutionary; both for their artistic talent and the barriers they overcame to produce and pursue their practice. 

The history of modern women artists in Australia is marked by resilience, innovation, and again, underrecognition. For much of the 20th century, women worked within a male-dominated art world that frequently overlooked or marginalised their contributions. Despite producing bold, pioneering work across painting, printmaking, and sculpture, many were sidelined from the dominant narratives of modernism. Their careers often unfolded in relative obscurity, their practices undervalued in comparison to their male peers.

In recent decades, however, there has been a significant resurgence of interest. Major institutions, scholars, and collectors are re-examining the achievements of women artists, granting them the visibility and recognition long denied, forging contemporary initiatives with the goal of fostering ongoing recognition. For collectors, this presents not only an opportunity to engage with works of extraordinary quality and depth, but also to participate in the redressing of art history itself—supporting a legacy that is finally being acknowledged as central to Australia’s history of art.

While the legacy of many female modernists is still unfolding, their contributions are increasingly being rediscovered and celebrated—often through the dedication of contemporary collectors. By seeking out and championing their work, today’s collectors play a vital role in bringing overdue recognition to these artists, ensuring their place within the broader narrative of modernism is both acknowledged and preserved.

The work of prolific women artists is seen across our collection, such as works by famous Heide artists Mirka Mora and Anne Marie Hall, and contemporaries including Dorothy Braund and Sybil Craig. By investing in the work of women artists, contemporary collectors can revise the canon, uplifting lesser-known practitioners within their collections.