Last week I was speaking with an artist – highly regarded and in her 60s – when she began telling me about a recent incident with a male curator. She had been helping him install a show at a major institution when he realised the measurements for a large work of hers were off – he’d failed to double check the dimensions of the gallery. As a result, he asked if she could chop off a section of her large-scale artwork so it could fit. Understandably outraged, she declined, and the work didn’t end up in the show. But she also wondered whether the curator would have asked the same of a male artist – to butcher his own work to make it accommodate the space?
Women accommodate to a fault. But why have we been made to feel like this: guilty if we take up space; unpleasant if everything we do is not done with grace; demanding if we ask for what we want? It’s shocking to think that in 2023, the questioning of women’s authority – and the disbelief in what we are capable of – is still rife.
In historical terms, it’s partly because society hasn’t presented us with a vision in which women own certain spaces. Take a portrait commissioned to show the 36 founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, of whom two were women, Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser. Instead of painting them alongside the men who were all decked out in suits and studying a nude model, the painter Johann Zoffany reduced them to two almost unrecognisable portrait busts in the corner of the room. (The Royal Academy did not admit women to the life-drawing studio until the 1890s.)
Women’s work has also been hidden from view. In 2019, a large version of the Last Supper by the nun-artist Plautilla Nelli from around 1568 went on view at the refectory of Santa Maria Novella, Florence – its first outing.
Women have been crowded out not only on museum walls, but also in the places where they have made their work. When Lee Krasner shared a home with her husband, Jackson Pollock, in Springs, Long Island, her studio was confined to the spare bedroom, while he had the sprawling barn. And when winter came, she was the one forced to relocate to the living room.
Then there are the times women’s works haven’t even survived. At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, a 16-foot-high sculpture stood in its centre. Elegantly shaped like a harp, Lift Every Voice and Sing depicted 12 singing figures in floor-length robes standing in the palm of God’s hand, and a kneeling child. The work, by Augusta Savage, was commissioned to show the contribution to music by African Americans. But, despite the national press coverage it earned, it was destroyed after the fair due to an inability (or lack of will) to fund its storage. What impact would this work have had on future generations if it had been preserved?
This story makes me think about how many other works have been destroyed because they were created by, or depicted, people regarded as unimportant, while the works that have remained reinforce a narrative about the greatness of white men. The author Kate Mosse pointed out in her book Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries that there are more statues in the UK of men named John than there are statues of women, and in Edinburgh there are more statues of animals than named women.
Last year, when I interviewed the American artist Amy Sherald – who rose to fame after painting the presidential portrait of the first lady Michelle Obama, the first African American woman to do so – she recalled the power of seeing African Americans represented in art as a little girl: “I remember thinking, I wonder what my life would feel like if every single statue that I ever walked by … in all these different public spaces, looks like me?”
How different our lives would be if we saw ourselves reflected on museum walls and in public spaces. Representation is key because seeing something created by someone that looks like you empowers you, makes you feel part of the conversation, and encourages you to achieve the same things as them. But it also teaches us how to treat and respect those in society who may seem different from us. Because despite the progress of showing women’s work today, it is still being sidelined, delimited, and asked to be reduced in size. Any art or anyone is worthy of taking up space and we must go out of our way to accommodate that, no matter our gender or background.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
