Ageism in the Art World

• The art world is most focused on artists who are 20-35 years of age.
• Galleries are looking for the next “fresh young talent,” words which are frequently used to describe exhibitions.
• An example is the Young British Artists group.
• Middle aged women are largely absent from trendy New York City galleries
• Most of the time all you hear about is the recent MFA graduate from Columbia and their “meteoric rise.”
• In academia, once you are 35 years old it’s extremely difficult to get hired as a tenure track professor.
• Prof Lieu notes Faith Ringgold stating that as an artist, you have to “outlast everybody.”

• It’s common for artists in their teens and 20’s to struggle about what to say.
• More life experience ensures that you’ll have more to draw from in your artwork.
• An advantage of being older is knowing better how to use your time efficiently and productively.
• There is a trend of women receiving accolades once they are 80 years old or more.
• This is not common with male artists, who are often perceived as geniuses once they are 80 years old or more.
• We need to hear more about artists who work for decades and continue to persist with their artwork.
• Achieving resilience and stamina as an artist can be the toughest part.

Artists mentioned

• Françoise Gilot
• Sally Gabori
• Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
• Etel Adnan
• Mary Fedden
• Zilia Sánchez
• Grandma Moses
• Carmen Herrera
• Egon Schiele
• Vincent van Gogh
• Kyle Staver
• Kathryn Bradford
• Faith Ringgold

Articles mentioned

• Françoise Gilot: ‘It Girl’ at 100, The New York Times
• Carmen Herrera, minimalist artist who found fame late in life, dies at 106, The Washington Post
• These 8 Female Artists Only Saw Their Careers Catch Fire Well Into Their 80s. Here’s How They Finally Got Their Due, Artnet
• Zilia Sánchez: 92-year-old artist gets her first museum retrospective, The Guardian
• Etel Adnan, celebrated writer who found late-in-life fame as a painter, dies at 96, The Washington Post
• 30 under 30, Forbes