THE Richard Saltoun Gallery has announced its plans to dedicate a 12-month programme to portraying exclusively female artists.
The Mayfair gallery’s website quotes some sobering statistics, revealing that only 30 per cent of artists represented by major commercial London galleries are women, and that only fice per cent of galleries represent an equal number of male and female artists. This is a very contemporary issue, with a 2018 report by charitable organisation Freelands Foundation, reporting that the representation of women in the commercial gallery section has reached a new low.
Entitled 100% Women, the programme will begin from March 1, leading with the first solo exhibition by artist Rose English. The exhibition will present her work in photography, painting and ceramics, as well as recognising her huge significance in the world of British performance art.
In April, Belgian artist Lili Dujourie will present her first solo exhibition in London for over 20 years. An important figure in the feminist avant-garde movement of the ‘70s, Dujourie uses a number of mediums, including sculpture, painting and video, to experiment with the material form.
An exhibition celebrating the life and career of French artist Gina Pane will feature in May. She became known for using her body as a site to explore ideas around abuse, experience and empathy, some of which came to earn the title “masochistic art”.
Renate Bertlmann, Tender Touches (1976) Courtesy Richard Saltoun Gallery
LA-based artist Penny Slinger’s Tantric art will be the subject of the gallery’s June exhibition, before curator Paola Ugolini presents “Around an Idea of New Italian Feminism,” featuring Italian artists Silvia Giambrone and Marinella Senatore.
The programme will also include the work of Austrian artist, Renate Bertlmann, exhibiting works from the 1970s to today, including her iconic Tender Touches (1976).
Gallery Founder and Director, Richard Saltoun, explained the gallery’s aims for this new programme, “Our aim is to ensure the female artists who have made a great impact on the development of contemporary art are duly noted in art history.
“Following 100% Women, our programme will extend beyond gender equality, seeking to shine light on under-represented figures despite their race, nationality, religion or geographical location”
by Hannah Valentine
100% Women, opens March 1
Richard Saltoun Gallery, 41 Dover Street, London W1S 4NS