Examining the Gender Gap in the Art World

The event is featured in the segment “Taro Kawasaki’s Art BIZ,” which introduces developments in the art industry and the business surrounding it. Although women make up more than 70% of students at art universities, more than 80% of professors are men, and the total sales of artworks by male artists far exceed those by female artists worldwide. Data like these suggest that differences between male and female artists cannot be explained by talent alone.

The exhibition grew from a simple question: Can you name five female artists? When asked, many people tend to recall names such as Rembrandt, Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol, or Pablo Picasso—artists who are overwhelmingly male.

The exhibition is being held at a gallery in Omotesando Hills in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. It is organized by the Japan committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), a Washington-based museum dedicated to supporting female artists and promoting gender equality in the arts.

The committee works in partnership with the National Museum of Women in the Arts in the United States, the world’s first museum devoted solely to works by women artists. The organization was founded to address the historical tendency for women artists to be overlooked or marginalized.

One of the group’s directors explained that the museum in Washington regularly organizes international initiatives highlighting women artists and works to discover overlooked talent. The current project connects to the “Women to Watch” exhibition series, launched about two decades ago to spotlight promising female artists from around the world.

The Japan committee was established about five years ago to participate in this global program. The “Women to Watch” exhibition gathers artists who are attracting attention internationally, and the next edition will be held next year.

From Japan, five artists have been nominated as candidates to participate in the upcoming exhibition. The selection was overseen by Yukie Kamiya of The National Art Center, Tokyo. According to the organizers, the chosen artists range in age from their 30s to their 60s and represent a wide variety of backgrounds and artistic styles.

Their careers span multiple locations, including London, Paris, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Tokyo, reflecting a deliberate effort to emphasize diversity in both geography and artistic approach. From the five nominees, one artist will ultimately be selected to represent Japan.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts itself is located just a few blocks from the White House in Washington. The museum was founded by Wilhelmina Holladay, an art collector who began assembling works by women artists after discovering that many had been overlooked in mainstream art history.

Holladay reportedly purchased a painting by a Dutch female artist from the 16th century but found that little historical information about the artist existed—not even her birth or death dates. Even widely used art history textbooks barely mentioned female artists at the time. Motivated by this discovery, Holladay began collecting works by women artists and opened her own home to the public in 1981 before officially establishing the museum on April 7, 1987.

Today, the museum holds more than 6,000 works by around 1,000 to 1,200 artists, all created by women. Some pieces were acquired by Holladay herself, while others were donated by collectors.

Unlike many institutions that focus on already established artists, the museum often purchases works by emerging female artists if the quality is high, even if they are not yet widely known. Over time, some of these artists have gained significant recognition, meaning the museum acquired their works long before their market value increased.

Organizers say the initiative stems from a broader awareness of how certain groups have historically been marginalized in the art world. Rather than focusing solely on the work of white male artists, they argue that art institutions should also amplify voices representing a wider range of perspectives, including those of women.

Statistics illustrate the imbalance. According to surveys, works by women account for only about 10% of the collections in many museums. Analysts point to two main reasons for this gap: historical structures and contemporary social factors.

Historically, many major museums—including institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Prado—feature works dating back centuries, when the art world was dominated by male artists. Because these works are already well studied and highly valued, museums tend to continue acquiring them, reinforcing the imbalance.

Another factor is the structure of the art market itself. Museums are typically cautious about purchasing expensive works, often relying on boards of trustees and collectors for funding. These boards and collectors have traditionally been dominated by men, influencing the types of artists whose works are acquired.

Social factors also play a role. In many professions, including the arts, systems often reward uninterrupted career trajectories. Women may face life events that interrupt their careers, making it harder to maintain the momentum needed to build recognition in competitive markets where galleries and collectors rarely wait.

According to the Gender Balance Report 2022 published by a research group studying creative fields, women account for more than 70% of art university students in Japan, yet more than 80% of professors are men. Over the decade leading up to 2020, 84.6% of solo exhibitions held at museums featured male artists.

Data from financial information service QUICK shows that the top five male artists globally generated total art sales of 13.1 billion dollars, compared with 1.68 billion dollars for the top five female artists—nearly an eightfold difference.

Nevertheless, signs of improvement are beginning to appear. The proportion of women artists represented by Japanese galleries rose to 44% in 2024, still below half but significantly higher than the 35% recorded in 2023.

Sales figures are also shifting. Works by female artists accounted for 20% of art sales in 2023 but increased to 33% in 2024.

Organizers emphasize that art represents messages and voices from its creators. Ensuring that both men’s and women’s perspectives are represented, they argue, is essential for a fuller understanding of the human experience.

Source: テレ東BIZ