In 1943, Peggy Guggenheim, the pioneering collector and art dealer, made history by mounting the first exhibition of women artists in the US at her pioneering New York gallery, Art of This Century.
The show, ‘Exhibition by 31 Women,’ was a bold statement highlighting the patriarchal art world, which had long relegated women to the role of muse, imitator, or accessory to the male artist. Guggenheim aimed to focus on the outstanding work of women artists who had been overlooked and undervalued.
The show brought together established artists and rising stars from Europe and the US, many of whom were connected to Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. Aware of the barriers, these women refused to play by the rules. Instead, they reimagined the art movements of their time from a woman’s perspective. Through their work, they challenged and exposed the male-dominated underpinnings of these styles. They reclaimed their place in art history and redefined what it meant to be a woman and create in an unbalanced world. The exhibition by 31 Women was more than a show. It was a revolutionary act that paved the way for future generations of women artists to take their rightful place in modern art.
Some artists like Louise Nevelson, Leonora Carrington, Dorothea Tanning and Frida Kahlo are instantly recognisable. However, It is a little-known fact that Gypsy Rose Lee, known for her infamous burlesque, was also a competent artist, working in oils and collage. Many artists in the exhibition have been skipped over in the 80 or so years since the original exhibition was mounted. This is a great chance to discover and reassess this period.
Artists in the exhibition include: Djuna Barnes, Xenia Cage, Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Suzy Frelinghuysen, Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, Meraud Guinness Guevara, Anne Harvey, Valentine Hugo, Buffie Johnson, Frida Kahlo, Jacqueline Lamba, Eyre de Lanux, Gypsy Rose Lee, Hazel McKinley, Aline Meyer Liebman, Louise Nevelson, Meret Oppenheim, Milena Pavlovic-Barilli, Barbara Poe-Levee Reis, Irene Rice Pereira, Kay Sage, Gretchen Schoeninger, Sonja Sekula, Esphyr Slobodkina, Hedda Sterne, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Dorothea Tanning, Julia Thecla, Pegeen Vail Guggenheim and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva.
Fundación MAPFRE organised the Exhibition in collaboration with MAC/CCB, with an exceptional loan from The 31 Women Collection.
Top Photo: The 31 Women Collection © António Jorge Silva
Peggy Guggenheim: Exhibition by 31 Women February 27th to June 29th 2025 Exhibition organised by Fundación MAPFRE in collaboration with MAC/CCB