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  • The Story of Art Without Men

  • By: Katy Hessel
  • Narrated by: Katy Hessel
  • Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (49 ratings)

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The Story of Art Without Men

By: Katy Hessel
Narrated by: Katy Hessel
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the 20th century? And what is the Baroque anyway?

Discover the glittering Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance, the radical work of Harriet Powers in 19th-century USA and the artist who really invented the Readymade. Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of post-War artists in Latin America and the women artists defining art in the 2020s. 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 history of art as it's never been told before.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Katy Hessel (P)2022 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

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)
An inspiring, beautifully written corrective (Bidisha Mamata)
Will change the history of art... thank God. (Tracey Emin)
Excellent, authoritative, exuberant and elegantly written (Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSAR)
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)

What listeners say about The Story of Art Without Men

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Absolutely superb

This book opens up the work of numerous under-appreciated yet important artists to the reader/listener. I cannot commend the audio book highly enough. It is read by the author whose passion and enthusiasm is infectious. The pdf file of the illustrations is really useful although I would recommend listening to the book on Audible and then dipping into the paper version for reference and reminder. I really hope that we see a lot more of this impressive author.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent!

Exciting and important art history packed into a beautifully read book. Transported to different corners of the world through time, I now feel I have a better understanding of the great women artists.

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thank you!

we can't have enough books like this. the earlier artists were new to me and vividly pictured. it made me aware that I wasn't really exposed to the mainstream art history. I grew up with this as the default and role models. having become a man in recent years, it is strange to have been conditioned to make space for men-yet not being accepted as a man. a little sad that transgender are mentioned in one breath as drug addicts or sex workers. but maybe that's how society still sees us today: as outcasts. I just want to say you are missing out on valuable data that transmen and transwoman can give you about patriarchy- just ask them:)

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Everyone should read this!

Quite possibly the book I’ve been waiting my whole life to find (as over dramatic as that sounds)… listening along whilst I’m in the studio, it’s left me feeling empowered, energised and inspired.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A who’s who of great female artists

Katie is a rising star - already bright. A cataloging of the key female artists you need to know.

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Refreshingly Brilliant

Opening the door to allow a new perspective on art history to be considered.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic subject, difficult to follow.

I am pleased to have made it through this audiobook. It is a subject that interests me very much and I learned about many artists previously unknown to me.
It is a vast subject to cover and I sadly found it difficult to follow.
Katy Hessel reads her book with passion, However, I was frequently distracted by her staccato rhythm and odd emphasis of random words with repetitive up and down tones within each sentence.
There were some questionable pronunciations and evident recording inserts which present as frequent volume and tone changes throughout.
Kate is obviously intensely interested in her subject, and has researched extensively.
I wish she had employed a professional narrator. Possibly, this book is better not read as audio. Sorry to say, I have read better books on the subject and cant recommend it. The book Broad Strokes by Bridget Quinn is a much smaller study, but is more entertaining and much easier to grasp and follow.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Divided

I am pleased this book has been written, but I’m not convinced on its success.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

was this read by AI?

The content is really interesting, I learnt a lot about some fascinating and largely forgotten women, but I was disappointed that so many of them are 20th Century, where I was hoping for truly under researched women from previous centuries. The artists covered here were familiar already, although in need of much more recognition. My main issue with the book however was the reading. While it is good to hear the author's own voice, does Hessel really use such odd diction and pronunciation? I got the feeling her voice had been recorded then transcribed into a voice bot to make this book. It was horrible listening, and probably contributed to the difficulties some readers have expressed in following the narrative. This is one book I would prefer to read to myself.

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