As in many fields of art history, the work of women photographers has often been overlooked, and few of their names are now widely recognized.
However, women were closely involved in all major photography movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, and have used the camera as an extraordinary tool for emancipation and experimentation.
These are artists who never stopped documenting, questioning and transforming the world, breaking down social boundaries, challenging gender roles and expressing their imagination and sexuality.
To capture the diversity of this global body of work, editors Luce Lebart and Marie Robert have invited 160 international women writers to contribute to A World History of Women Photographers.
Originally published in France, this book, published in English for the first time, is a bold and beautifully illustrated manifesto as well as an invaluable work of reference.
It was created thanks to the support of the Rencontres d’Arles and Women In Motion, a Kering programme that shines a light on women in arts and culture, as part of its LAB.
Praise for A World History of Women Photographers:
‘Even when they have been recognized in their lifetime, women photographers have been erased from the history of the medium. This beautiful book sets the record straight’ Charlie Hebdo
‘A landmark publication’ Elle
‘A huge variety of expression and experimentation by women photographers … Magisterial!’ Madame Figaro
‘An eye-opening reference work without seeking to be exhaustive … provides fresh insights into the history of photography, until now dominated by the presence and work of men’ Christoph Wiesner, Director of the Rencontres d’Arles
Luce Lebart is a historian of photography, curator and French correspondent for the Archive of Modern Conflict collection. She was the Director of the Canadian Institute of Photography from 2016 to 2018 and of the collections of the Société Française de Photographie from 2011 to 2016.
Marie Robert has been chief curator at the Musée d’Orsay since 2011.
A World History of Women Photographers
Edited by Luce Lebart and Marie Robert
Translated by Ruth Taylor and Bethany Wright
429 illustrations | £65
https://thamesandhudson.com/
