Neither Frida nor Georgia

I would have staked my money either on Georgia O'Keeffe or the ubiquitous Frida Kahlo. But it seems I'm wrong. According to a new NBER paper by University of Chicago art economist David Galenson, the most popular women artist of the 20th century is American photographer Cindy Sherman:

Recent decades have witnessed an outpouring of research on the contributions of women artists. But as is typical in the humanities, these studies have been qualitative, and consequently do not provide a systematic evaluation of the relative importance of different women artists. A survey of the illustrations of the work of women artists contained in textbooks of art history reveals that art historians judge Cindy Sherman to be the greatest woman artist of the twentieth century, followed in order by Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, and Frida Kahlo.

The life cycles of these artists have differed greatly: the conceptual Sherman, Hesse, and Kahlo all arrived at their major contributions much earlier, and more suddenly, than the experimental O'Keeffe and Bourgeois. The contrasts are dramatic, as Sherman produced her greatest work while in her 20s, whereas Bourgeois did not produce her greatest work until she had passed the age of 80. The systematic measurement of this study adds a dimension to our understanding of both the role of women in twentieth-century art and the careers of the major figures.

I like Sherman's work. But I doubt it retain its dominance over the next few decades. These days, there are just too many imitators, wherease O'Keeffe and Kahlo were both one of a kind (and with amazing bios too). Let's face it, how many leading women actors want to make a film about Cindy's life story? As for Bourgeois, while at times her work is very innovative, most of it leaves me underwhelmed.

The NBER paper is Who Were the Greatest Women Artists of the Twentieth Century? A Quantitative Investigation; unfortunately I can't find a non-gated version.

UPDATE: Tyler Cowen also has posted about the paper: he opts for Eva Hesse. Colin Stewart at the Arts of Innovation blog also comments.

Comments

[kharris]

Is there a sense in which the differences specified, between conceptual and experimental (narrative idea and technical idea?), will tell which artists hold our attention longest? Not that the two cannot occur together. Does Sherman's story come to seem unremarkable over time because "new" doesn't stay so, while technical mastery of O'Keeffe and Bourgeois keeps the stories they relate fresh?

[Lafayette]

kh: "Is there a sense in which the differences specified, between conceptual and experimental (narrative idea and technical idea?), will tell which artists hold our attention longest?"

Is this question necessary? To predict what? That an artist WILL be popular and his/her works will appreciate in value?

Moot point, I submit. Art is art. De gustibus non disputandum est.

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