Women affiliated with Abstract Expressionism have historically been undervalued in the art market—despite playing active roles and pioneering new techniques. But as curators and academics being to devote more exhibitions and books to these female painters, collectors are taking note. The development is part of a larger trend to give historic female artists their due, while also an opportunity to invest in more affordable artists.

“This is the first time in 24 years that I’ve expanded beyond our stated mission because this is an unprecedented moment. All the news coming out was dire, and I know many artists take on multiple jobs to support their practice, and these jobs were being cut. Artists needed help and I was able to help.”

“We are trying to build a collection that tells a truthful history of American art. That cannot be told without the work of women and artists of color.”

Berthe Weill was entirely dedicated to modern painting. It was a form of passion. She was the only one to expose unknowns and so many unfamiliar artists, it was a very risky commercial bet. For example, Weill bought, exhibited, and sold Pablo Picasso’s work before he ever moved to Paris or painted any of the works for which he’s now considered a modernist legend.

Many late-to-fame artists are women in their 70s, 80s, and even 90s. For some, like Carmen Herrera, it was a pure matter of tenacity in the face of critical disregard; for others, like Grandma Moses, painting only became an interest once other pursuits became physically impossible.

While she remains a devoted “feminist spokesperson,” Chicago would, she told said frankly, “much rather talk about [her] work.”

Before women even gained suffrage in the United States, Bertha Palmer asserted her power through business dealings and art acquisitions. Her patronage ensured that Chicago became an essential city for viewing Impressionist masterpieces—second only, perhaps, to Paris.

After long being in the shadows of their male peers, it seems museums and galleries have woken up to the quality of these women’s works and their appeal to the public.

Despite the Surrealist movement that took place in 20th-century Europe being male-dominated, women have contributed to this genre throughout that century—and all the way up to the contemporary period, as seen in the work of Nicole Eisenman and Inka Essenhigh today.

After stops at a doctor’s office in Yorkshire, a library in Glasgow, and a high school in Newcastle, the self-portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi went on view at a women’s prison in Surrey.