The Female Body in Art

The book examines the representation of the female body in art from the Renaissance to the present day through over 80 works of art. It shows how the female form has functioned as a cultural mirror that has fascinated both artists and audiences, and how it has conveyed important messages about society and culture.

The reader experiences everything from Gustav Klimt's luminous portraits, Lee Miller's war photographs, and Marina Abramović's groundbreaking performance art, to Leonor Fini's shepherdess, Barkley L. Hendricks' Madonna , Graciela Iturbide's Medusa , Toyin Ojih Odutola's adventurous women, and Hayv Kahraman's army of strong women .

The book also compares idealized representations such as Sandro Botticelli’s female body with gender-nonconforming portraits by Zanele Muholi and Yuki Kihara, and examines how and why the female body has been repeatedly depicted – and what significance these representations have had in communicating with the world. The foreword is written by author and curator Hettie Judah .