The Story of Women and Art

This three-part documentary series, originally broadcast on the BBC, takes on a truly fascinating subject—the challenges facing women artists—but proves to be disappointing. The main problem is that despite its comprehensive title, The Story of Women and Art limits itself to a handful of artists working in Western Europe from the Renaissance up through the early 20th century, with a belated hop over the Atlantic for a look at Georgia O'Keeffe's works. Hosted by historian Amanda Vickery, the series gives the false impression that only a few women were able to create paintings and sculptures of great value, and that the majority of their work is either poorly considered or not accessible for contemporary appreciation. It's certainly barely visible here—Vickery displays some of the works on her iPad but the camera rarely offers a contemplative gaze at the great paintings under discussion. Worse, Vickery steamrolls her way through art history, most egregiously limiting female contribution to the Impressionists' movement to Berthe Morisot while ignoring Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt. The series also ignores non-white women who created art that achieved international acclaim, including the African-American sculptors Edmonia Lewis and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mexico's celebrated artist Frida Kahlo, Hopi-Tewa ceramist Nampeyo, and Japanese painter Uemura Shōen. An ambitious undertaking that nevertheless falls short, this is still a strong optional purchase given the general lack of titles on the subject. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)