As we celebrate the 100 year anniversary since women were given the vote in parliamentary elections, Angela Westwater, one of the art world?s pre-eminent gallerists, reflects upon the great women gallerists who have inspired her, and the changing landscape of the New York gallery scene over the past 40 years
In the midst of today?s debate on justice and equality for the genders across all industries, the gallery world is a particularly interesting case to think about. While there is actually a large contingent of women gallerists, historically and today, they don?t always get the same level of recognition as their male counterparts. Many powerful women paved the way for the young dealers of today with the risks and bold chances they took. Taking just New York as an example, even as far back as the 1930s and 40s, there were Peggy Guggenheim and Betty Parsons, both of whom championed Abstract Expressionism. Having recently seen the ?Bacon?Giacometti? exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, I also think about the legacy of Erica Brausen, who started London?s Hanover Gallery in 1946 and gave Bacon his first show the following year. Follow LUX on Instagram: the.official.lux.magazine
A more immediate example, and one who has inspired me personally, is Virginia Dwan. She had a gallery in Los Angeles in 1959 before moving to New York in 1965. Virginia and I actually met through the artist Robert Smithson, who, in fact, helped me land my first job as a gallery girl in 1971 at ...