Book Review: The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel

Abstract This review critically assesses Katy Hessel’s The Story of Art Without Men (2022), a revisionist contribution to feminist art history that seeks to foreground women’s artistic achievements across five centuries. While Hessel’s work significantly expands visibility for women artists, the review questions whether it fundamentally reconfigures the art historical canon or merely supplements it. Placing the book in dialogue with foundational feminist texts by Linda Nochlin, Griselda Pollock, and Rozsika Parker, the review explores how Hessel navigates issues of gender, Eurocentrism, and institutional critique. It also examines her treatment of modernism and the recurring tension between participation and confinement for women artists. Ultimately, this review argues that while Hessel’s project is an accessible and valuable corrective, it stops short of dismantling dominant structures, highlighting the ongoing need for more intersectional and decolonial approaches to art historiography.