‘Great Women Sculptors’ Surveys More Than 300 Trailblazing Artists Through 500 Years of History

a sculpture made of all-pink found objects, topped with the torso of a female mannequin that appears to be opening a huge skirt to reveal shelves of objects and a sign that reads "today will be AWESOME"

Portia Munson, “Today Will Be Awesome” (2022), found pink objects, pink synthetic fabric and cloths, mannequin, salvaged round bar table, and deconstructed secretary desk/cabinet, 72 × 60 × 70 inches. Photo by JSP Art Photography, courtesy of P·P·O·W, New York. All images © the artists, courtesy of Phaidon, shared with permission

Celebrating more than 300 trailblazing artists, Great Women Sculptors, forthcoming from Phaidon, surveys half a millennium of remarkable work from the Renaissance to today. At more than 340 pages, the volume is organized alphabetically, aligning some of the best-known names from history with artists currently making waves.

Yayoi Kusama’s colorful polka dots, Portia Munson’s feminist found-object evocations, and Mária Bartuszová’s ethereal plaster forms are showcased alongside Louise Nevelson’s monumental constructions and Barbara Hepworth’s intimate stone silhouettes. Each artist is represented by an artwork key to their career and overall oeuvre, along with a bite-size introduction to their work and its significance in the context of the ever-evolving art historical canon. If you’re a frequent Colossal reader, you’ll recognize others like Wangechi Mutu, Joana Vasconcelos, Simone Leigh, Rebecca Manson, Kiki Smith, and Tara Donovan.

Great Women Sculptors is slated for release on September 24, and you can pre-order your copy now in the Colossal Shop. You might also enjoy checking out other books in this series, including Great Women Painters and Great Women Artists.

a freestanding sculpture of porcelain leaves as if they have been thrown up in the air and suspended there

Rebecca Manson, “Gale” (2021), porcelain, glaze, steel, adhesives, foam, hardware, enamel, and magnets, 88 × 68 × 72 inches. Photo by Lance Brewer

an abstract wall sculpture by Holly Hendry featuring blue and peach curbed shapes with a cast of a hand suspended off the end of the right side

Holly Hendry, “Body Language” (2022), jesmonite, pigment, rock, steel, and paint, 40 3/4 × 30 1/4 × 6 7/8 inches. Photo by Todd-White Art Photography, courtesy of Stephen Friedman Gallery

a spread from the book 'Great Women Sculptors' featuring two artists

an abstract freestanding sculpture by Helen Escobedo featuring geometric facets and circular cutouts in black, red, blue, and yellow

Helen Escobedo, “Eclipse from the series Muros Dinámicos (Dynamic Walls)” (1968), lacquered wood, 79 1/8 × 29 7/8 × 28 3/4 inches. Photo by Ramiro Chaves, courtesy of Proyectos Monclova

a suspended, abstract, billowing textile sculpture by Rana Begum made of pieces of toile fabric

Rana Begum, “No. 1048 Mesh” (2020, powder-coated galvanized mesh, 153 1/2 × 232 1/4 × 110 1/4 inches, courtesy of Begum Studio and Kate MacGarry Gallery

a spread from the book 'Great Women Sculptors' featuring two artists

a mixed-media sculpture by Nicole Eisenman depicting abstract figures on a wooden platform in a muted gallery space

Nicole Eisenman, “Maker’s Muck” (2022), plaster, clay, seashell, etc., 103 1/4 × 120 × 155 1/4 inches. Photo by Thomas Barratt, courtesy of Anton Kern Gallery

an abstract wall sculpture made of plaster that has been formed around balloons or other objects

Mária Bartuszová, “Untitled” (1985), plaster and string, 41 3/8 × 52 3/4 × 15 3/8 inches. Photo by Michael Brzezinski, courtesy of The Estate of Maria Bartuszová, Košice, and Alison Jacques, London

the cover of the book 'Great Women Sculptors' with white text on a red background with abstract blue and yellow shapes