Art & Gender: The Muse by Jessie Burton

Wow, this book is awesome! I read it because I have also read The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton and loved it too.

The story is fabulous but the ideas and themes really made me think about art and about what makes an artist famous. My dissertation looked at the theme of what makes an artist successful, and focuses mainly on the idea of celebrity.

This book made me consider the role of women in the world of art. The story starts in the 1930s and a woman who is a wonderful artist is overlooked until she allows a male to take credit for her work, and because of this her work is highly acclaimed. The artist felt that this was the only way her work would ever be taken seriously and it appears she could have been right.

I watched a programme about Georgia O'Keeffe (Imagine ... Georgia O'Keeffe: By Myself BBC1 26th July 2016).

In the programme O'Keeffe talked about how she has been called one of the greatest women artists. O'Keeffe claimed

Men put me down as the best woman painter… …I think I’m one of the best painters.

Georgia O’Keeffe

Jimson Weed / White Flower No. 1 "the most expensive painting by a female artist ever sold at auction."