Art museum pledges to only buy pieces by female-identifying artists in new initiative

The Baltimore Museum of Art announced the first exhibition of its year-long 2020 Vision initiative to celebrate female-identifying artists.

By Their Creative Force: American Women Modernists features nearly 20 works by artists such as Elizabeth Catlett, Maria Martinez, and Georgia O’Keeffe to recognize the innovative contributions women artists have made to the development of American modernism. The exhibition is on view October 6, 2019–July 5, 2020.

“This exhibition presents a survey of women artists from a variety of geographic regions and socioeconomic backgrounds to tell a more inclusive story of American modernism,” said Christopher Bedford, BMA Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. “It also demonstrates the BMA’s long history of acquiring works by women artists and our commitment to showcasing accomplished artists from this community, both efforts the museum is amplifying in 2020 and beyond.”

The exhibition is part of an initiative to boost artwork in the museum by female-identifying artists. As it currently stands, 96 percent of their collection is by male artists, a vast majority.