When the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, there were only two female artists among its members, and it was not until the 1930s that another woman was elected to membership. However, this orientation distorts the view of true history, even if art was a male domain: many female artists, unknown today, created drawings, watercolors, and other works. For the most part, these works were never published or documented. An exhibition at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London now focuses on a few selected voices: A View of One's Own: Landscapes by British Women Artists, 1760-1860 runs from January 28 to May 20. Well-known names are shown alongside artists who are familiar only to a few connoisseurs.
The exhibition features 10 female artists, including Harriet Lister and Lady Mary Lowther, who were among the first to depict the Lake District; Fanny Blake; Amelia Long, Lady Farnborough, one of the first British female artists to travel to France after the Napoleonic Wars; and Elizabeth Batty, whose works on display in the exhibition were rediscovered only a few years ago. At the same time, the show represents a subject area that has recently seen greater growth in the Courtauld's collection than other sections. The collection comprises a total of over 33,000 objects from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.
