Alison M. Gingeras, an American curator and writer, has organized a major new exhibition titled “The Woman Question: 1550–2025” at the recently opened Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. The show brings together more than 200 artworks spanning nearly five centuries, from Renaissance painters like Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana to contemporary artists such as Betty Tompkins and Lisa Brice. The exhibition traces the historical debate about women’s roles in culture and society—the so-called “woman question”—and highlights how women artists have depicted power, resistance, desire, and violence through self-portraits, allegories, and other works. Gingeras discusses the project on the podcast The Art Angle, exploring early women art stars, recent rediscoveries, and the ongoing need for all-women exhibitions.
The exhibition matters because it directly confronts the historical erasure of women artists from the art historical canon, a challenge famously posed by Linda Nochlin in 1971. By assembling 500 years of women’s creative production in one show, Gingeras provides a powerful counter-narrative to the male-dominated art history that has long marginalized these figures. The project also raises timely questions about the continued relevance of gender-specific exhibitions in an era when many argue for a post-feminist approach. As the first major exhibition at the new Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, it signals the institution’s commitment to feminist scholarship and inclusive art history, making it a landmark event for both Polish and international audiences.