Famous Women Artists & Painters

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 1 
Georgia O'Keeffe
(American Modernist Artist Known for Her Flowers and New York Skyscrapers Paintings)
Georgia O'Keeffe
12
Birthdate: November 15, 1887
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, United States
Died: March 6, 1986
Artist Georgia O'Keeffe enriched American modernism and precisionism with her artwork, mostly water color and charcoal paintings. She was the first female artist to have a retrospective at New York’s MOMA. Her paintings focused on the cityscapes and landscapes of New York and New Mexico, and abstract flowers.
 2 
Frida Kahlo
(Mexican Painter Known for Her Brilliantly Coloured Self-Portraits)
Frida Kahlo
21
Birthdate: July 6, 1907
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
Died: July 13, 1954

Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, was known for her many portraits and self-portraits. Her work is said to have been inspired by the nature, artifacts and popular culture of Mexico. Her work was not much known until the late 1970s, when it was rediscovered by art historians and political activists. By early 1990s, she became a recognized figure in art history.

 3 
Artemisia Gentileschi
(One of the Most Progressive and Expressive Painters of Her Generation)
Artemisia Gentileschi
12
Birthdate: July 8, 1593
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: 1652 AD
Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi was a prominent artist of the 17th century. She was the first female member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno and was known for her depiction of the female form. She was raped by painter Agostino Tassi and participated in a 7-month trial.
 4 
Edmonia Lewis
(First African-American and Native American Sculptor to Achieve International Prominence)
Edmonia Lewis
4
Birthdate: July 4, 1844
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Died: September 17, 1907

Edmonia Lewis was an American sculptor who worked in Rome for most of her career. The first African-American sculptor to gain international prominence, Lewis was also the only Black female artist to have participated and recognized by the American artistic mainstream until the end of the 19th century. Molefi Kete Asante included Lewis in his 100 Greatest African Americans list.

 5 
Louise Bourgeois
(Artist Best Known for Her Large-Scale Sculpture and Installation Art)
Louise Bourgeois
6
Birthdate: December 25, 1911
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 31, 2010

Louise Bourgeois was a French-American artist best remembered for her large-scale installation art and sculpture. Also a prolific printmaker and painter, Bourgeois explored a variety of themes, such as sexuality and death. In 1997, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2009, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

 6 
Yayoi Kusama
(Contemporary Artist)
Yayoi Kusama
4
Birthdate: March 22, 1929
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama is known for her variety of artforms, including sculpture, installations, paintings, and fashion. She mingles elements such as feminism, surrealism, and abstract expressionism, and expresses her struggle with mental illness through her art. She has also published books and produced an award-winning film. 
 7 
Margaret Keane
6
Birthdate: September 15, 1927
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee
Died: June 26, 2022
 8 
Susan Mikula
(American Artist and Photographer)
Susan Mikula
5
Birthdate: March 7, 1958
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New Jersey, United States
Self-taught photographer Susan Mikula is known for using old Polaroids and pinhole cameras to create her masterpieces. She was an accountant earlier and has also worked for the U.S. consulate in Mexico. The LGBT icon is in a long-term relationship with her partner, journalist and TV personality Rachel Maddow.
 9 
Kristin Nelson
(American Primitive Painter, Actress and Author)
Kristin Nelson
5
Birthdate: June 25, 1945
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Burbank, California, United States
Died: April 27, 2018
Kristin Nelson is remembered for her appearances in films such as The Resurrection of Broncho Billy. She was married to actor/musician Ricky Nelson but later got involved in a bitter custody battle involving their fourth son, Sam. A primitive painter, too, she had published an autobiography interspersed with her paintings. 
 10 
Yvonne McGuinness
(Irish Visual Artist)
Yvonne McGuinness
6
Birthdate: October 12, 1972
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kilkenny, Ireland
Irish visual artist Yvonne McGuinness is renowned for her video installations and prints. Most of her art works revolve around themes of conflict between revealing and hiding one’s true self. She has also made several short films, such as Charlie's Place. She is married to Irish actor Cillian Murphy.
 11 
Gloria Vanderbilt
(Artist and Fashion Designer Best Remembered for her Custody Battle)
Gloria Vanderbilt
9
Birthdate: February 20, 1924
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, United States
Died: June 17, 2019

Gloria Vanderbilt was an American fashion designer, actress, author, and socialite. As a child, she was subjected to a child custody trial, which the press named trial of the century due to its high-profile nature. As a designer, Vanderbilt is credited with developing and popularizing designer blue jeans. She also launched a line of household goods and perfumes.

 12 
Gerda Wegener
(Danish Illustrator, Painter and Partner of Transgender Woman Lili Elbe)
Gerda Wegener
4
Birthdate: March 15, 1886
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hammelev, Denmark
Died: July 28, 1940

Gerda Wegener was a Danish painter and illustrator. She began painting as a young girl and received her training at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. As a painter, she often depicted confident and elegant women performing a variety of activities in her works. She also painted fashion illustrations and what was labeled “lesbian erotica.” 

 13 
Françoise Gilot
(French Painter Best Known for Her Relationship with 'Pablo Picasso')
Françoise Gilot
4
Birthdate: November 26, 1921
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

Françoise Gilot is a French painter whose professional career was overshadowed by her long and turbulent relationship with Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. After breaking up with Picasso, with whom Gilot had two children, the former deterred galleries from buying her work. He even tried blocking the release of her memoir Life With Picasso which was released in 1964.

 14 
Effie Gray
(Artist)
Effie Gray
5
Birthdate: May 7, 1828
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Perth, United Kingdom
Died: December 23, 1897

Effie Gray was a Scottish painter. She was married to draughtsman and watercolorist, John Ruskin, before leaving him to marry John Everett Millais. This popular love triangle has been depicted in several plays and films, including the 1912 silent movie, The Love of John Ruskin. After marrying Millais, Effie Gray had a major influence on his works.

 15 
Anne-Marie Johnson
5
Birthdate: July 18, 1960
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 16 
Mary Cassatt
(Painter)
Mary Cassatt
5
Birthdate: May 22, 1844
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Allegheny
Died: June 14, 1926
 17 
Yoko Ono
(Artist and Musician Who Was an Influential Practitioner of Conceptual & Performance Art)
Yoko Ono
16
Birthdate: February 18, 1933
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan

Yoko Ono is a Japanese multimedia artist, peace activist, and singer-songwriter. She came into prominence after marrying John Lennon of the Beatles. She is widely criticized for her unquestionable influence over John Lennon and his music. She is also often blamed for the disbandment of The Beatles. Despite all these criticisms, Yoko Ono continues to go on her merry way.

 18 
Naoko Takeuchi
(One of the Most Popular Manga Series of All Time)
Naoko Takeuchi
4
Birthdate: March 15, 1967
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan

Japanese manga artist Naoko Takeuchi is best known as the author of Sailor Moon, a multiple-award-winning manga series. She was interested in becoming a manga artist from a young age. However, she studied chemistry in college to please her father. Shortly after graduation, she entered the manga industry and found success in her chosen field within a few years.

 19 
Zeena Schreck
(Visual and musical artist)
Zeena Schreck
4
Birthdate: November 19, 1963
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
 20 
Cindy Sherman
(American Photographer and Director)
Cindy Sherman
4
Birthdate: January 19, 1954
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Glen Ridge, New Jersey, United States
 21 
Hiromu Arakawa
(Japanese Manga Artist Best Known for the Manga Series ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’)
Hiromu Arakawa
4
Birthdate: May 8, 1973
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Makubetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
Raised on a farm, Hiromu Arakawa realized her potential as a manga artist early in life and thus went to Tokyo to try her luck. The Shogakugan Manga Award-winning artist is now known for her internationally renowned Fullmetal Alchemist manga series, which has given birth to an entire franchise.
 22 
Marie Tussaud
(French Wax Sculpture Artist and Founder of 'Madame Tussauds', the Wax Museum in London)
Marie Tussaud
4
Birthdate: December 1, 1761
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Strasbourg, France
Died: April 16, 1850

Marie Tussaud was a French artist and sculptor best remembered for her wax sculptures. She founded Madame Tussauds, a wax museum, in London in 1835. The museum is a major tourist attraction today. As a young girl, she learned wax modeling from doctor cum wax modeler Philippe Curtius. In the ensuing years, she became a prominent sculptor.

 23 
Camille Claudel
(French Sculptor Known for Her Work: ‘The Waltz’ and ‘The Mature Age’)
Camille Claudel
4
Birthdate: December 8, 1864
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Fère-en-Tardenois, France
Died: October 19, 1943

French sculptor Camille Claudel is also popularly known as legendary sculptor Auguste Rodin’s student, mistress, and muse. Claudel also contributed to many of Rodin’s masterpieces but never got any credit for it. After her relationship with Rodin soured, she became alienated and eventually died in an asylum.

 24 
Tamara de Lempicka
(Painter)
Tamara de Lempicka
4
Birthdate: May 16, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Died: March 18, 1980
 25 
Grandma Moses
(Painter, Illustrator)
Grandma Moses
5
Birthdate: September 7, 1860
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York
Died: December 13, 1961

Anna Mary Robertson, better known as Grandma Moses, revolutionized American folk art with her iconic depictions of American rural life. After spending 15 years of her life working as a housekeeper, she deviated toward embroidery. A bout of arthritis made her switch to painting in her late 70s.

 26 
Hilma af Klint
(Swedish Artist and Mystic Best Known for Her 'Temple' Paintings)
Hilma af Klint
5
Birthdate: October 26, 1862
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Solna, Sweden
Died: October 21, 1944

Hilma af Klint was a Swedish mystic and artist whose paintings represented complex spiritual ideas. English musician and singer-songwriter Jane Weaver cited af Klint's work as inspiration for her 2017 album, Modern Kosmology. In 2019, Hilma af Klint became the subject of a feature-length documentary titled Beyond the Visible — Hilma af Klint.

 27 
Lee Krasner
(American Abstract Expressionist Painter Who Specialized in Collage)
Lee Krasner
4
Birthdate: October 27, 1908
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: June 19, 1984
Lee Krasner was an American abstract expressionist artist who specialized in collage. She is credited with influencing the artwork of her husband, Jackson Pollock. The Museum of Modern Art held a retrospective exhibition of Lee Krasner's work six months after her demise, making her one of the few female artists to have achieved such an honor.
 28 
Frieda Hughes
(Painter, Poet)
Frieda Hughes
6
Birthdate: April 1, 1960
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England
 29 
Justine Frischmann
(Was the Lead Singer of the Britpop band 'Elastica' and Co-Founder of the Rock Band 'Suede')
Justine Frischmann
6
Birthdate: September 16, 1969
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kensington, London, England
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 30 
Paige O'Hara
(Actress)
Paige O'Hara
4
Birthdate: May 10, 1956
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
 31 
Akiane Kramarik
Akiane Kramarik
4
Birthdate: July 9, 1994
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mount Morris
 32 
Miranda July
(Actress)
Miranda July
4
Birthdate: February 15, 1974
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Barre (town), Vermont Barre, Vermont, U.S.
 33 
Charlotte Johnson Wahl
(Painter, Mother of Boris Johnson)
Charlotte Johnson Wahl
4
Birthdate: 1942
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Oxford, United Kingdom
Died: September 13, 2021

Artist Charlotte Johnson Wahl is the mother of British prime minister Boris Johnson and British journalist Rachel Johnson. She is known for her portraits and her signature style that mirrors the Vorticist style. Her creations have been featured at the Bethlem Museum of the Mind.

 34 
Leonora Carrington
(Mexican Surrealist Painter and Novelist)
Leonora Carrington
4
Birthdate: April 6, 1917
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire, England
Died: May 25, 2011

Leonora Carrington was a Mexican artist, novelist, and surrealist painter. During the 1970s, Carrington played an important role in Mexico's women's liberation movement as she was one of the founding members of the movement. Carrington, who was fascinated by symbolism and myth, studied alchemy, Popol Vuh, post-classic Mayan mystical writings, and the kabbalah.

 35 
Suze Rotolo
(Former artist known for Appearing on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan)
Suze Rotolo
4
Birthdate: November 20, 1943
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: February 25, 2011
 36 
Pippa Bacca
(Artist)
Pippa Bacca
4
Birthdate: December 9, 1974
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: March 31, 2008

Pippa Bacca made international headlines in March 2008, when she was found naked and strangled on the outskirts of Istanbul. The Italian feminist artist had apparently been raped and murdered in the middle of her hitch-hiking program Brides on Tour, which had her traveling from Milan dressed as a bride.

 37 
Berthe Morisot
(Painter)
Berthe Morisot
6
Birthdate: January 14, 1841
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bourges, France
Died: March 2, 1895
 38 
Käthe Kollwitz
(German Artist Known for Depicting Poverty, Hunger and War in Her Works 'The Weavers' and 'The Peasant War')
Käthe Kollwitz
4
Birthdate: July 8, 1867
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Königsberg, Russia
Died: April 22, 1945

Noted for series like Weavers’ Revolt and Peasants’ War, sculptor and graphic artist, Käthe Kollwitz, came in contact with the urban poor when she moved into Berlin's working class area. Touched by their plight, she soon started portraying them through her etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, and drawings, quickly becoming a powerful advocate for those suffering from social injustice, war, and inhumanity.

 39 
Vanessa Bell
(Painter)
Vanessa Bell
6
Birthdate: May 30, 1879
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London
Died: April 7, 1961
 40 
Rumiko Takahashi
(Japanese manga artist)
Rumiko Takahashi
5
Birthdate: October 10, 1957
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Niigata, Niigata Prefecture

Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist counted among the country’s best-known and wealthiest manga artists. She began her career in the late 1970s and has created numerous commercially successful works. In 2019, she received the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême, becoming the second woman to win the prize. She has been inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame.  

 41 
Lisa Hanawalt
(Cartoonists)
Lisa Hanawalt
4
Birthdate: June 19, 1983
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Palo Alto, California, United States
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 42 
Diva Zappa
(Actress)
Diva Zappa
7
Birthdate: July 30, 1979
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
 43 
Princess Delphine of Belgium
(Artist)
Princess Delphine of Belgium
8
Birthdate: February 22, 1968
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Uccle, Brussels, Belgium

With a background as colorful as her art, Princess Delphine of Belgium was known as Jonkvrouw Delphine Boël before she won paternity suit against King Albert II of Belgium and became recognized as his daughter, winning princely title for herself and her children. An established artist in her own right, she continues to create art, promoting its use in healthcare.  

 44 
Sandra Knight
(Actress)
Sandra Knight
4
Birthdate: January 1, 1940
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 45 
Allisyn Ashley Arm
(Actress)
Allisyn Ashley Arm
4
Birthdate: April 25, 1996
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Glendale, California, United States
Height: 5'0" (152 cm)
 46 
Djuna Barnes
(Artist)
Djuna Barnes
4
Birthdate: June 12, 1892
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Storm King Mountain, New York, United States
Died: June 18, 1982
 47 
Geneviève Castrée
(Canadian Cartoonist)
Geneviève Castrée
8
Birthdate: April 9, 1981
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Loretteville, Quebec
Died: July 9, 2016

Geneviève Castrée was a Canadian illustrator, cartoonist, and musician. She is best remembered for her book Susceptible, which earned her international success. A self-taught musician, Castrée went on to found her own music label in 2009 after releasing a couple of EPs. Geneviève Castrée died at the age of 35 due to pancreatic cancer.

 48 
Jill Gibson
(Painter, Photographer, Singer, Songwriter)
Jill Gibson
4
Birthdate: June 18, 1942
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Los Angeles
 49 
Niki de Saint Phalle
(French-American Sculptor, Painter and Filmmaker)
Niki de Saint Phalle
5
Birthdate: October 29, 1930
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Died: May 21, 2002

Niki de Saint Phalle was a French-American painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. She gained prominence as a monumental sculptor as not many women were renowned for their skills as monumental sculptors. Also remembered for her social work, Niki was one of the earliest artists to spread awareness about AIDS through art. She also wrote extensively in English and French.

 50 
Helen Frankenthaler
(American Abstract Expressionist Painter)
Helen Frankenthaler
4
Birthdate: December 12, 1928
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: December 27, 2011