Women artists are under-represented, if not completely absent, in art books, exhibitions and museum collections. AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions is a non-profit organisation, co-founded in 2014 by Camille Morineau, art historian and specialist in the history of women artists. Its goal is the creation, indexation and distribution of information on women artists of the 20th century, backed by four programmes.
AWARE's four programmes are designed to throw the spotlight onto women artists:
- Who are They? AWARE's website is an online resource available to everyone. It is complemented by a documentation centre in Paris – the AWARE (Lab).
- Let's talk about Them: In partnership with universities and museums, AWARE organises round tables, symposiums and study days in France and abroad, including in countries where the condition of women is precarious.
- Where are They? AWARE organises museum visits to discover women artists and their art.
- All about Them: AWARE also ensures information about the work of women artists is shared via paper-based publications aimed at both the general public and specialists (conference papers, annual magazine).
The organisation also runs the AWARE prize for women artists. Whereas they form the majority of students at art schools, women artists are in the minority when it comes to the shortlisted names and winners of the most important contemporary art prizes. They represent between 20 and 30% of artists selected and promoted at the Prix Marcel Duchamp in France and the Turner Prize in Great Britain.
Aiming at achieving parity in mixed sex prizes, certain institutions have taken the decision to enhance the status of the work by women artists by creating women-only competitions. Astonishingly, in France there was no equivalent.
Role of the ENGIE Foundation
The Foundation supports AWARE in its fight to restore the presence of 20th-century women artists in the history of art.
