Nearly half of the works to be exhibited at Independent 20th Century this week in New York are by women artists, many of whom were celebrated in their day but who may not be as well known to contemporary collectors. Boosting the representation of 20th-century women artists has been a deliberate effort for Independent, which unlike most art fairs is an invitation-only, curated event.
“It’s harder in the pre-feminist period to find the material, or to find the material that hasn’t been exposed, but we are finding it, and we’re really excited to focus on it more fully,” says Elizabeth Dee, founder and CEO of Independent. One reason the fair can now represent more of this work is that galleries are seeking it out, Dee says.
Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York and Abattoir Gallery in Cleveland are showing large-scale paintings and drawings made of thread by Audra Skuodas, an Lithuanian-born artist. Skuodas’ works, mixing figuration and abstraction, have received more attention since she died in 2019, being acquired and exhibited in museums in Ohio, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, according to the galleries.
The gallerists said their aim in presenting Skuadas “is to open her work up to an international audience and to demonstrate that alternative narratives are not only plausible but an essential part of a non-canonical approach to the study, appreciation, and historicizing of the arts.”