WOMEN IN ART &
LITERATURE

In literature related to the history of art and design, women have long been marginalized. They were placed in the role of muse or assistant rather than that of artist or designer. This erasure, which can be linked to the Matilda Effect, contributed to a patriarchal view of the artistic world, where women’s works were systematically downplayed or even forgotten.

The book The Bauhaus illustrates this imbalance. Women are largely made invisible. While major Bauhaus figures such as Walter Gropius, Paul Klee, and Wassily Kandinsky are mentioned, there are very few references to women, even though some played a major role in the Bauhaus movement, such as Anni Albers, Marianne Brandt, and Lucia Moholy.

The near-omission of women like Lucia Moholy in works such as Whitford’s reveals how artistic memory is constructed: through men, who decide who does or does not enter history.

Today, the representation of women in literary works is gradually improving. However, the rehabilitation of women in intellectual and artistic fields is still very recent. It is therefore important not to forget the women who fought so that future generations could be credited and recognized for their work.

It is no longer just a question of restoring a name, but of rewriting a more accurate history of art and design, where the women of the past cease to be ghosts in men’s literary works.