The art world seems to be gradually freeing itself from centuries of dominant patriarchal patterns. Women are often the muses of the greatest painters and sculptors. They were deified, glorified and valued for their physical qualities, charm and tenderness.
Today there are more and more influential women in the art world. Including artists, exhibition curators, directors of institutions, gallery owners, and even critics and art collectors. We invite you to discover these brave and powerful ladies. All influential women who have revolutionized the way major contemporary art museums operate. Or they spawned these art galleries that today’s market needs.
Helen Anne Molesworth: curator of contemporary American art
Helen Anne Molesworth is a curator of contemporary art and exhibitions. She takes on more ambitious projects than her previous ones.
She does it all the time, frustrating and brilliantly rewriting the great stories of art history. She was a curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art (2000–2002), then at the Wexner Art Center (2002–2007). Molesworth later became head of the Department of Contemporary Art Museums at Harvard University. She also curated the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston (2010–2014).
Molesworth became an undisputed figure in the American museum field. Throughout her career she has curated exhibitions on important social topics.
Madeleine Grynsztejn: director of the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art
Former chief curator Madeleine Greenstein was director of painting and sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She made history as the first woman to head the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago.
She held the position of curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego (1986-1992). She later joined the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) as a curator.
A highly publicized figure, she regularly attends conferences and gives interviews on art issues. In addition to being a museum director, Madeleine Greenstein is also a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Committee of Museums and Collections of Contemporary Art (CIMAM), and many others.
She believes that a museum is a place where art, ideas, community and communication are dynamic.
Toura El Glaoui: Franco-Moroccan entrepreneur, founder of the contemporary African art fair 1-54
Toura El Glaoui was a 1950s Givenchy model and began a promising career in the world of finance in London.
Throughout his recurring travels, Tura El Glaoui develops a growing sensitivity to African and Oriental art. The emerging talent wants these underrepresented regions to take a valuable and important place in the art world.
In 2013, this avant-garde female figure brought about a concrete revolution in the realm of African art events. She became a curator of the first edition of the contemporary African art fair 1-54.
Toura El Glaoui works to promote contemporary African art internationally. She has contributed greatly to the international recognition of the African art market. She also contributed to the dynamism of contemporary art on the continent. Tura El Glaoui is listed among the 100 most powerful women in Africa by Forbes magazine.
Nathalie Obadia: French gallery owner, Professional Committee of Art Galleries board member
Nathalie Obadia is a French gallery owner specializing in contemporary art. One of the most influential women in the art world, Nathalie Obadia is also a board member of the Professional Committee of Art Galleries.
She is one of the most influential women in the Franco-Belgian art scene. The Natalie Obadiah Gallery, located between Paris and Brussels, presents contemporary artists such as Carol Benzaken or Jessica Stockholder. Henceforth, Galerie Nathalie Obadia is now present in three different sites, situated in both Paris and Brussels.
Her gallery is quickly becoming an important place in the elite international circle of famous galleries. He asserts his presence at every major meeting of contemporary art (Frieze, Art Basel, FIAC and many others). All this contributes to her status as one of the most influential women in the art market!
Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani: the undisputed queen of the art world in Qatar
Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani is the Princess of Qatar and 14th child of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The fortune of Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani has made her one of the most influential women in the world of art and culture.
Today, she is President of the Qatar Museums Authority. She is building the NGO Reach Out To Asia from the ground up. It is designed to restore and strengthen safe learning environments in crisis-affected areas in Asia and around the world. Nicknamed the “queen of culture”, it is under her influence that the most anticipated exhibitions in Qatar take place.
All influential women, directors of prestigious museums, renowned gallery owners, curators, and art patrons, serve art and culture. Their multifaceted personalities shake up the art world in a unique way. By sharing their innovative and visionary vision, they help expand the spectrum of global artistic achievement.
