WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'A long overdue, revisionist history of art by the brilliant Katy Hessel . . . Never stuffy or supercilious, Hessel's book is a revelation and an important first step towards redressing the balance of an art world in which women have been sidelined, stepped over and trampled upon for far too long.' REFINERY29

'An extraordinary achievement that will have a disruptive cultural legacy and help deter­mine the landscape for years to come.' HARPER'S BAZAAR

'Katy Hessel is a brilliant chronicler of the overlooked. I am so thrilled this book exists as an empowering, enlightening guide to the unforgettable vision of these brilliant artists. Essential reading.' ELIZABETH DAY

'Will change the history of art . . . thank God.' TRACEY EMIN

'I was not aware how hungry I was for this book until I dropped everything and ate it from cover to cover. I was not aware how angry I was that this book did not exist until it existed. It's an urgently needed, un-put-downable, joyful, insightful, glorious, perspective-shifting revision of the Story of Art.' ES DEVLIN
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How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the twentieth century? And what is the Baroque anyway?

Have your sense of art history overturned, and your eyes opened to many art forms often overlooked or dismissed. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, this is the story of art for our times - one with women at its heart, brought together for the first time by the creator of @thegreatwomenartists.

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'A spirited, inspiring, brilliantly illustrated history of female artistic endeavour . . . The Story of Art Without Men should be on the reading list of every A-level and university art history course and on the front table of every museum and gallery shop.' LAURA FREEMAN, THE TIMES

'Passionate, enthusiastic and witty . . . I wish I had had this book as a teenager' THE I

"An inspiring, beautifully written corrective" - Observer

"A book for every aspiring art historian - whatever their sex" - The Times

"A long overdue, revisionist history of art by the brilliant Katy Hessel ... Never stuffy or supercilious, Hessel's book is a revelation and an important first step towards redressing the balance of an art world in which women have been sidelined, stepped over and trampled upon for far too long" - Refinery29

"An extraordinary achievement that will have a disruptive cultural legacy and help deter­mine the landscape for years to come." - Harper's Bazaar

"Well-researched and enlightening" - Daily Express

"Unapologetically revisionist" - Financial Times

"Via chronological chapters focusing on periods of change, Hessel leads the reader back through this story, reinstating the countless women whose contributions were missed." - RA Magazine

"Vital... has firmly cracked open the canon" - Spectator

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A spirited, inspiring, brilliantly illustrated history of female artistic endeavour... The Story of Art Without
Men should be on the reading list of every A-level and university art history course and on the front table of every museum and gallery shop.

"Exhilarating ... a dazzling array marshalled by a talented young art historian who grinds her axe sharply and with skill ... [Hessel's] scholarship, enthusiasm and humour make this lavish book a must for any woman who loves art" - Daily Mail

"An illuminating celebration of female artists and their often overlooked place in history" - Stylist

"Passionate, enthusiastic and witty... I wish I had had this book as a teenager" - The i

"A touchpoint for a new generation who will go on to define the future of those exhibitions, collections, and auctions" - Dazed Digital

"This eye-opening read is an overdue revisionist history of art - ignoring the pale, male canon to celebrate female artists who have been overlooked for centuries" - iPaper

"The early centuries are thin simply due to the paucity of surviving work by talented women painters but her story becomes fuller and more persuasive the closer it gets to today. Hessel is clear-sighted and impartial enough not to over-claim for her subjects but show that they are full of interest and every bit as worthy of attention as their male peers." - New Statesmen

"When women are literally written out of history, Hessel conveys how radical, powerful and vulnerable their lives and art were - and still are. Through moments of rage and celebration, this story fundamentally centres creative freedom: the stifling of it, and the lengths endured to claim it." - The Sydney Morning Herald

"Compiled with zip and wit, even the informed reader will learn something new on every page - we really cannot recommend it enough" - The Fence

"This eye-opening read is an overdue revisionist history of art - ignoring the pale, male canon to celebrate female artists who have been overlooked for centuries" - i paper

"A sumptuously illustrated history... at once broad in scope and meticulously researched" - TLS

"This book has blown my mind. Really passionately recommend" - Sunday Times

"An extraordinary eye-opener, and very readable ... we badly need books like Hessel's" - Evening Standard

"Hessel's beautifully written 500-year survey is a welcome, necessary, addition to the bookshelves" - Guardian

"Highly readable and lavishly illustrated... a rich storehouse of groundbreaking female art" - The Lady

"This book changes everything. As soon as you open it, it's like you've opened a box of lit fireworks - out soars great artist after great artist. Her retake on the canon has changed it forever" - Observer

"Extraordinary" - L.A. Times

"This instant best-seller is a feminist, revisionary history of art by the inimitable Katy Hessel. An essential first step in re-conceptualising the artistic canon by putting the historically sidelined sex at the forefront, this brilliant text makes a fantastic gift" - The Standard