The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw has launched "The Woman Question 1550-2025," a massive survey featuring nearly 200 works by 140 women artists spanning five centuries. Curated by Alison M. Gingeras, the exhibition uses the medieval concept of "la querelle des femmes" to explore how women have asserted their status as "citizen artists" against patriarchal structures. The show juxtaposes historical masterpieces by figures like Artemisia Gentileschi and Sofonisba Anguissola with contemporary provocations by Miriam Cahn and Lubaina Himid, focusing heavily on figurative painting and sculpture.
This exhibition is significant for its transhistorical approach and its effort to reclaim marginalized forms of creativity, such as the folk art of Felicja Curyło, within a fine art context. By drawing inspiration from landmark feminist shows like Linda Nochlin’s 1976 survey, it serves as both a celebration of female agency and a warning that feminist victories remain under threat. The curation emphasizes the palette and brush as symbols of power, framing the act of painting as a political strike against the male gaze.