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'Given the undeniable high quality of these women’s work, why has it been overlooked for so long? Part of the answer—as in many other parts of the labor market and society at large—is simple sexism.'

'Those years of relative obscurity often became a source of strength, allowing these woman artists to hone their vision and sense of self-worth as they continued to produce work without the need for accolades.'

'After decades of neglect, older female artists are finally getting the recognition they deserve, and shaking up the foundations of art history.'

'What they are producing is part of why older artists are so attractive. They’re still active. It's often the best work they’ve made. Older female artists aren’t just a trend. They have decades of proven work to justify their skill. Many of these women have been working, teaching and exhibiting steadily. The difference is collectors, curators and the media are now paying attention.' 

'Women in later life often push aside their anxieties about satisfying the market, and competing with their male colleagues for attention, and just make work which pleases themselves. That fearless work, born out of their years of experience, can be extraordinary. Critics often see then that the earlier work was also very strong…they just hadn’t noticed it at the time.'

'The demand for older female artists has been bolstered by institutional efforts to address gaps in their collections and imbalances in programming, sometimes driven by women who have recently assumed positions of power in institutions or as collectors with influence on museum or non-profit boards.' 

'They’re fully formed artists, they’re mature artists, they’re serious artists. They’re not going to burn out as sometimes happens with younger artists. There is no justification for the lower status and lower recognition. It’s just a historical discrepancy, and we’re just at the beginning of that process of correcting it.'

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