Five Extraordinary Women Who Influenced the Course of Modern Art

The five women who are the subject of this Discovery Day are:

1. Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). Entering the established art world as a woman in the 19th century was very difficult, but being involved in a group of anti-Establishment artists such as the Impressionists made this task virtually impossible. Yet Berthe Morisot became one of the few female Impressionists to make her reputation in this male dominated world.

2. Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Born near Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Mary Cassatt spent most of her adult life in France. She was a wonderful painter of domestic scenes and an outstanding printmaker and played an important role in introducing French Impressionism to the United States.

3. Misia Sert (1877-1950). Misia’s extraordinary life was celebrated in 2012 with a one-man show at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. With her first husband, Thadée Natanson, she was involved in the famous art magazine ‘La Revue Blanche’ and was painted by Bonnard, Vuillard, Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir. A brilliant concert pianist, pupil of Gabriel Fauré, she devoted 20 years to supporting Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.

4. Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938). Born in poverty, Suzanne began modelling in Montmartre aged 15. We see her in a number of important works, such as Toulouse-Lautrec’s Hangover and Renoir’s Dance at Bougival. She posed for Degas, who saw her talent as an artist and encouraged her to paint.

5. The Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881-1957) A fascinating and even outrageous figure, Luisa was born into a huge Italian fortune. Painted brilliantly by Giovanni Boldini , Augustus John, Kees van Dongen and other leading artists, as well as being photographed by Man Ray and Cecil Beaton, she became a fashion icon and a legend in her time.