By Julie Collins, SWA member

It is almost unbelievable that female-identifying artists, despite our progressively enlightened times, represent just 7% of art in the collections of the top public museums. For example, only 1% of the National Gallery in London’s collection is made up of art by women. To put it in perspective just 24 of their 2300 works are by women. The Society of Women Artists began in 1855 and to this day does an important job promoting female artists.

This article gives you a short history of the Society and concentrates on a diverse selection of SWA members who paint women. We are included in Katy Hessels “The Story of Art without men”, first published 2022. It is a wonderful book that aims to begin to set the record straight to include women in the History of Art. Katy writes about The Society of Women Artists at the beginning of Chapter Three, “SETTING UP FOR THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, page 70. “This was one of the first times women could succeed independently from men and speak up publicly for their rights (aided by the establishment of networks such as the Union of Female painters and Sculptors in Paris, and the Society of Women Artists in London.)  This gives us some well-deserved publicity. Much of Katy’s book is compiled from her highly successful Instagram account “the great women artists” which to date, has an impressive 439,000 followers.  

The title is very cleverly based on Gombrich’s “The Story of Art”. Her book is a huge step forward from Gombrich who, mentions no women artists in his first edition published in 1950 and astoundingly, despite him revising the book in 1995, only mentions one women artist in his 16th edition. “The Story of Art”, which is a fabulous book was the bible for all Art & History of Art students. It says a lot about our times that we were reading this as late as 1995 and few of us were questioning the fact that women were quite literally left out of such an important publication. Gombrich was sensitive to the criticism that he did not like modern art and was obliged to defend his position on occasion. He is now criticised for not including female artists on his writing on Western art. His answer was that he was writing a History of Art as it was, and that he thought that women artists did not feature widely. Which begs the question - Had he not heard of at least some of the exceptionally talented women artists, such as, Gentileschi, Berthe Morrisot, Mary Cassatt, Sonia Delaunay, Georgia O’Keefe, Hilma af Klint, Kathe Kollwitz, Suzanne Valadon, Cecili Beaux, Gwen John (the famous Rodin’s lover) and Macdonald Mackintosh (the wife of the much celebrated Charles Rennie Mackintosh) and the list goes on. 

The Society of Women Artists has a rich history and in its first form in 1855 was known as the Society of Female Artists. Annual Exhibitions have been held in London since 1857. During the 19th century the British art world was dominated by the Royal Academy and two of the named founders were women painters: Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) and Mary Moser (1744-1819). However, it was not until 1922 that other female artists were admitted to the Academy. Annie Swynnerton, a member of the SWA since 1889, was elected as the first member female Associate member of the Royal Academy in 1936, and Dame Laura Knight became the first female elected full member of the RA. Dame Laura Knight  was elected President of the SWA in 1932 and retained the position until she retired in 1968.

As women artists we have come a long way, specifically in recent years, yet there is still a lot of work to be done. In 2012 The Society of Women Artists turned a huge corner when Sue Jelley was elected President and held office until 2017, when she was succeeded by Soraya French. Sue Jelley introduced the Young People’s initiative, which is instrumental in encouraging young female artists to exhibit with us and also began supporting the charity Breast Cancer Now. Sue has worked tirelessly to promote the Society and bring it to the forefront of British Art as has Soraya French and our current President, Helen Sinclair who work hard to encourage women artists to submit their work to the SWA Annual Exhibition.

Here is a diverse selection of art by our Members who paint women. Although each artist has a very unique and personal style each one includes powerful and important messages within their work. Interestingly several of them depict the resilience, strength, hope, unity and connection of women. Each artist explains their work below.

Suzanne Gibbs compelling portrait depicts her mother, who suffers from dementia and in Suzanne’s own words, “I am currently painting a series of portraits in response to my Mum’s journey with dementia. As an Active member of Women’s Aid and fighter for Human Rights, Mum helped so many people over many decades. (Jean’s own choice of clothing suggests her loss of identity as a dress designer, but also reflects her previous colourful, busy life and her bold dynamic character.) Whilst dementia steals Mum’s identity and memories, my paintings attempt to catch them and her present.” 

Sue Jelleys’ painting of Dame Zandra Rhodes is a wonderful tribute to a very important female fashion icon and textile designer. Zandra is a colourful character and a great inspiration to creative women. Sue says, “This painting is a slight departure from my usual work as I needed to use an extra ‘Explosion of Colour’ together with a more graphically composed painting to fully convey the stunning hand printed clothes that Zandra has used for this now famous Mexican Collection. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting her models and engaging with the beautifully crafted and exotic textiles this very talented lady has now become so famous for. “ 

Roya Khalili about her work, “Painting is both my patience and rebellion, a journey where I transform personal and collective experiences into art. Through my work, I express the struggles against injustice and patriarchy, giving voice to untold stories of women. The colours, forms, and symbols I use convey personal identity instilling hope, emphasizing that change is possible. My art serves as a powerful medium of empowerment, encouraging others to discover and share their own voices and stories.” 

Soraya French, “Homeward journey is one of a series of my travel-based paintings that captures the essence of unity and connection amongst the women in some ethnic communities. It is also a celebration of the unique bond between the mother and child. The close-knit formation of the figures symbolizes their mutual support and camaraderie whilst the baskets convey a mix of resilience, strength and shared experiences of their daily chores. The colourful garments evoke the cultural context of the subject and the interconnecting hues are a hint at their shared roots.” 

Christine Roychowdhury: “My childhood has had a great impact on my work, my workingclass Lancashire background and my closeness to my mother has made me want to challenge preconceptions and norms in art to look at the personal in order to understand the universal. The fact that women tend to disappear at a certain age and the working-class point of view is still rarely depicted. I am interested in relationships. I like paintings to connect on three levels, visually, intellectually and above all emotionally.” 

Julie Collins – “Sissy was my great Aunt, a vibrant character who worked at the bar in the Henthorn’s Hotel each evening. I paint personal stories of women, placed in an imaginary or remembered landscape. They are about the resilient, creative, inspiring and strong women from my childhood. Many of them faced hardship, but still managed to remain so positive and triumphed to achieve wonderful things.” Julie’s paintings have a mysterious quality and hold layers of meaning and emotion. 

Rosalind Robinson – “Here the figures lean in, conveying a message of solidarity. The pear held by the young woman on the right-hand side of the painting symbolises fertility and femininity.  The pear has often been used in art as a representation of the female shape.” Rosalind’s distinctive and arresting images are laden with symbolism and explore personal space and human proximity. The viewer is held in the figure’s gaze and made to wonder about their story.

Don’t miss the annual Society of Women Artist’s 164th Annual Exhibitions at the Mall Galleries, London SW1 and also online. Find out more here.