While searching for the art for a post about female founders I stumbled into a treasure trove. Of course, my first image search was Helen Frankenthaler because, of course, Helen Frankenthaler. While I love her paintings, none of the images evoked the message I was attempting to convey. Then I googled, female pop artists: Mind Blown.
Intrigued, I delved into the world of female pop artists. In September 2021, Rolling Stone magazine updated their “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list. Certainly, any list about the 500 greatest songs of all times will have a good amount of subjectivity. The article highlighted the underrepresentation of non-white male artists in previous rankings. This got me thinking: could a similar oversight be happening in the world of art?
So I took a closer look at female pop art painters from the sixties.
I focused on female pop art painters from the 1960s. My hypothesis is that if a panel of art critics, including Leo Castelli, had created a list of the top 25 pop art painters, none of the women below would have made the cut. Today, at least five of these women would likely be included.
If Leo and the art establishment were to reassess their rankings today, at least five of these women would undoubtedly make the top 25. Perhaps it’s time to rewrite a lot of lists?
Introducing the Artists
About the art: Cover art by Elaine Strutevant covering Roy Lichtenstein in 1966. Titled: Lichtenstein, Frighten Girl. Get it yet? Insert media by Marjorie Strider, Relaxing at the Edge of the Surf.
Three Fun Facts:
Christies, Sothebys and Phillips have severely under-represented these painters. And, their auction results search functionality sucks.
I find no proof that any of the artists have sold works for over $5 million (Sturtevant). Where Lichtenstein $165 million, Warhol $105 million, Rauchenberg $88 million (he wouldn’t make the new list).
Finding and acquiring paintings by these artists will produce outsized returns for someone. For me, I’ll just enjoy them and hand them down to my daughter.
Seven incredible artists. Enjoy.
Credit where credit is due:
11 Female Artists Who Left Their Mark on Pop Art
5 Female Pop Artists You Should Know About
Leo Castelli will sadly not be available to re-write the list but learn more about him here. Maverick OG.
I’m not an expert but the major galleries need to do their part as well to shine more light on these painters.