In 1992, the Dean of Murray-Edwards College, Cambridge, wrote to 100 artists asking them to donate their work for display. As Jessica Lack discovered, the women’s art collection has now grown to about 600 works depicting the history of women’s art in the 20th century.
* Harriet Loffler, curator of the Women’s Art Collection, Dawn of the Sun Star with Gillian Ayres, 1996. In the fireplace is Renee Hetherington’s 1930 sculpture The Annunciation. Photo: Liu. Artwork:©️ Gillian the legacy of Ayres R.A., CBE *
It looks like something out of a science fiction movie, a fantastical sight of glass, raw concrete and steel. At its center is a towering huge dome flanked by four smaller domes, and below it is a sunken courtyard filled with light, lush plants and sparkling water. Everywhere was pale alabaster, soft gray and bright green.
This is not the palace of some intergalactic empire, but rather the Murray Edwards, a women’s college at Cambridge University, built in 1964 by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, who would later design London’s Barbican complex.
The building is imagined as a manifesto for female education, with occasional moments of transcendence: soaring staircases, church-like windows and a huge concrete dome, all designed to inspire students to aim high.
* Rose Wylie (born 1935),Billie Piper (combination painting),2014. Mixed media and collage. 24.7 x 25.5cm. Women’s art collection. Photo: Wilf Spyler. Artwork:©Rose Wylie. courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner *
Unlike other Cambridge universities, the Murray Edwards actively encourages visitors to wander its long interconnecting corridors, admire its gardens and marvel at its church-like library. It is the ultimate expression of the rational ideology of the modern movement: civilization, peace and equality.
Central to this idea is the Academy’s art collection. Founded in 1992, it is considered the most important collection of women’s art in Europe. The works date from 1900 to the present day, starting with a painting by 19th-century American impressionist Marie Cassatt, and more recently including a portrait of Persian opera singer Monier Vakili by Iranian-born artist Suhaila Sohanwali in 2022.
Curator Harriet Loffler explains that the collection reflects Edwards Murray’s democratic philosophy. What hangs over is a lighthearted eloquence: Rose Wylie’s billboard-sized Billie Piper hanging on the back wall of the stairs; diners in the lobby dine under paintings by Paula Rego, Lubaina Himid and Hambling Maggie; the library promotes the academy’s feminist message through posters of guerrilla girls. Outside, the hard-edged sculptures of Barbara Hepworth and Naomi Press are softened by informal gardens.
* Mary Kelly, Extinction, 1986. Laminated photo positive, screen printed and acrylic on plexiglass. Two of the six panels, each 122 x 92cm. Women’s art collection.©Courtesy of Artists Los Angeles Vielmeter and New York Mitchell Innes & Nash *
The idea for the series was formed after Mary Kelly took up residence at Murray Edwards in the mid-1980s. Loeffler said it was a “huge moment” in 2018, when it received museum accreditation”
The collection was the brainchild of former Academy President Valerie Pearl and curator Ann Jones after the residency of pioneering feminist Mary Kelly. The American artist came to Murray Edwards in the mid-1980s, shortly after her controversial exhibition Postnatal Documents at London’s ICA, in which she painstakingly analyzed her relationship with her young son.
Her work at the Academy is equally ambitious, exploring the experiences of postmodern women through the five passionate attitudes bestowed on hysterical women by the nineteenth-century psychiatrist Jean-Martin Charcot. It sets a precedent for challenging feminist work.
* Paula Rego(1935-1922),Inês de Castro,2014. Oil on canvas. 122 x 145cm. Women’s art collection. Artwork:©Dame Paula Rego. Copyright 2023/Bridgeman Images *
In 1992, Pearl wrote to 100 artists asking if they would consider donating their work to the Academy for permanent display. Some 75 people responded, including Alexis Hunt, Maud Sirte and Paula Rego. Since then, the collection has grown to 600 pieces, depicting a history of 20th-century women’s art, a process that is relatively organic and many artists were recommend by other artists in the collection, Loeffler said. We often see this: generations of women supporting other women.
The art shows that there are no women artists in the history books. “We have a lot of people who have been associated with certain schools and sports in their careers, but have been forgotten since then,” said the curator. “. These include the abstract expressionist Anne Ryan, who pioneered the use of collage in prismatic work; and the modernist painter E. Q. Nicholson, Ben Nicholson’s sister-in-law; Daphne Hardy Henrion, who is better known today for her relationship with the writer Arthur Cosler than for her acutely observed sculptural portraits.
* Ross Gallard (born 1946), Model Triptych: Madonna Falls, 1982. Fresco panel, wood and acrylic paint. 180.5 x 97 x 133cm. Women’s art collection. Artwork: provided by artist *
In 2018, the Women’s Art Collection received a museum certification that was a huge moment because it acknowledged the quality of art and its importance as a resource, Loveller said.
That said, curators are acutely aware of the gaps in the collection. She worked with her colleague Naomi Polonsky to improve the image of artists of color. ‘It’s about 8 per cent, so we set up a buyout fund to correct that, ‘she said.
The curator also focuses on gender issues, Loveller said, adding that the issue of how we adequately represent women is very important. “The college welcomes and supports all students who identify as women, and it’s important that the arts reflect that.”
* College’s vaulted library. Photo: Liu *
Taking care of such a large collection is a headache, she said: “It’s not easy because we have an art of food consumption.” But it’s very much part of the spirit of the university-and it’s that generous openness that makes this collection so unique.
Would the Academy consider setting up a gallery dedicated to these collections? “Exactly.” Having a dedicated, contemplative space to showcase art, she says, would make a real difference. How we preserve art over the long term is an ongoing discussion. Some environmentalists argue that we must accept that art has a life span.
* Dora Carrington (1893-1932), The Iris Tree on a Horse, circa 1920 s. Oil, ink, silver foil and mixed media on glass. 11 x 14cm. The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art. The piece was included in Woking Lightbox’s Inside the Spirit until 14 January 2024. Artwork:©Dora Carrington Manor *
Loffler believes that the best option at the moment is to use the existing facilities: “It’s about expanding, lending art to other museums, and organizing tours.”
The Women’s Art Collection is currently collaborating with the Ingram Modern British and Contemporary Art Collection to hold an exhibition in Lightbox, Woking, exploring how women and non-binary artists portray the female spirit. The show was inspired by a collage of Bloomsbury poet Dora Carrington, which shows Alice Tree riding a white stallion and her short red hair against the midnight sky.
(Source: CultureSower)
