IconothecaThe Provenance Record
MenuClose
ArtworksOne cited page per work of art: what it is, who owned it, what it made
PaintingsSculptureAntiquitiesWorks on paperMetalworkCeramics and glassFurniture and textilesArms, clocks and instrumentsStolen and recovered
ArtistsThe makers, with what survives, what is disputed and what it costs
Working today 5Historical 100Women
MuseumsWhere the works are, with hours and admission we confirmedExhibitionsWhat is on now and what opens next, worldwideThe StudyHow provenance, attribution and the market actually work
AboutMethodologyGlossaryContactThe Letter

The women behind the art

The women who made the work, and the women without whom a work or a career would not exist: the collectors, dealers, patrons and widows who kept an estate together.

Today 3 of the 98 artists in this archive are women. That is the history of who was collected and recorded, and it is what this section is here to change: the researchers now add women artists first.

Women who made the work

The women behind the work

The first pieces in this series are being researched: Jo van Gogh-Bonger, who made Van Gogh known; the dealer Berthe Weill; the collectors and patrons in our own chains of ownership. Each will be cited like every record here.

The Iconotheca Letter

One artwork and its story every Tuesday, with the picture: who owned it, what it made, and what closes soon in the exhibition calendar. No promotion, and nothing we cannot cite.

We send one email to confirm the address and keep nothing else. Every letter carries a one-click unsubscribe. How we handle your data.