13 March 2026 – The Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Organised by The Manton Centre for British Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art.
Convenor: Rachel Sloan (Courtauld Gallery)
Timed to coincide with the Courtauld Gallery’s current exhibition, A View of One’s Own: Landscapes by British Women Artists, 1760-1860, this conference aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the recovery and re-presentation of historic women artists whose work and reputations have fallen out of art historical narratives.
Bringing together art historians and curators, this conference will explore various approaches to the complexities of bringing to light artists long overlooked by art history, whether via exhibition (permanent or temporary) or through the written word. Although the exhibition focuses on British artists, working both at home and abroad, from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries, we welcome papers that move beyond these chronological and geographical boundaries. The conference seeks to examine how attitudes and approaches to restoring to view the lives and work of women lost to art history have evolved, and continue to evolve, over recent decades, and the complexities, discoveries and rewards of charting overlooked artists and their work.
We would particularly welcome submissions in the following areas:
- Negotiating the grey area between the categories of ‘amateur’ and ‘professional’ in women artists’ careers
- The presentation of women artists’ work in settings other than temporary exhibitions
- Institutions and networks that fostered and supported the work of women artists
- Women artists’ strategies for publicising their work
Please submit a 300-500 word abstract for a 20-minute paper, with a title, your affiliation (if any) and a short biographical summary to Rachel.Sloan@courtauld.ac.uk by 6 February 2026.
Selected papers will be confirmed by 10th February.
