Happy birthday to sculptor Louise Nevelson (#BOTD in 1899) and painter Suzanne Valadon (#BOTD in 1865). And their cats, of course.

Autumn Breeze, by Alma Thomas. #FirstDayOfFall

The Ballet Girl & The Dressmaker, by Laura Knight (1930). A bit of the behind-the-scenes feel of Degas, don't you think? #NationalDanceDay

Such a good synopsis of #HildegardVonBingen's life. She was known as the Sybil of the Rhine. Today we would call her an eco-feminist, among many other labels. Be sure to scroll down and listen to some of her musical compositions. Her plate in The Dinner Party resembles a Gothic stained glass window.

Here are two portraits of traditional Mexican women, from the mid-20th c. Donna di Tehuantepec, by Tina Modotti, and De Generación en Generación, by Lola Álvarez Bravo. #HispanicHeritageMonth

For Marianne von Werefkin's birthday (#BOTD in 1860), here's a portrait of her, by her friend, Gabrielle Münter. Both were involved in the avant-garde #GermanExpressionist movement which stressed emotions rather than objective reality.

Self-portrait by Marie-Gabrielle Capet, allegedly painted on her 22nd birthday #OTD in 1781. French #Neo-classical portraitist, student of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard.

Elin Danielson-Gambogi (#BOTD in 1861) was the first professional woman artist in Finland. She married an Italian artist and lived the rest of her life in Italy. The asymmetrical composition of The Pianist appears to be more about the piano than the player. #WomenArtists

You can read my review of B.A. Shapiro's The Lost Masterpiece (about a painting by Manet, rescued [?] by Berthe Morisot) at bit.ly/4lf7xbx.

Flowers and Shells, Maria van Oosterwyck (#BOTD in 1630) Hope your summer day includes one or the other! #FlowerPainters #DutchGoldenAge

Anna Ancher (#BOTD in 1859) captures the late summer light in Harvesters. #SkagenArtists #DanishWomenArtists

It's still #NationalTeaWeek in the UK. Here is illustrator Kate Greenaway's Tea Party.

Woman Drinking Tea, by Lila Cabot Perry. It's #NationalTeaWeek in the UK.

My apologies to artist sisters Vanessa and Virginia Stephen, Christina and Frida Kahlo, Georgia and Ida O'Keeffe, and so many more for missing #NationalSistersDay on August 3!

Marilyn Monroe died #OTD in 1962. Marilyn-Elegy, by Audrey Flack, combines photo realism with the elements of a vanitas painting. The candle, clock, blooming roses, and valentine symbolize the transient nature of life.

For #NationalCoffeeMonth, here's Vanessa Bell's Still Life with Coffee Pot.

July 31st, by Joan Mitchell.

Judith Leyster (#BOTD in 1609) always portrayed mischievous-looking children. Of course, she had five of her own, so her images were no doubt based on personal research. Here are Boy With a Jug, and Boy and Girl with Cat And Eel.

Berenice Abbott was #BOTD in 1898. And tomorrow is #NationalIceCreamDay. So this photo by Abbott, titled Daytona Beach, seems apropos.

How did I miss #CowAppreciationDay? A few days late, but here is Berthe Morisot's Cows in Normandy.

Artemisia Gentileschi is having a show at the Musée Jacquemart (bit.ly/4lf7xbx) through August 5, featuring four of her recently rediscovered paintings. One is Allegory of Innocence, a seductive self-portrait. #OldMistress #BOTD in 1593

#FridaKahlo's birthday and #NationalKissingDay both fall on July 6, so here you go...

July 4th, by Grandma Moses (Mary Anna Robertson Moses), includes a parade, a picnic, and a baseball game. Happy #IndependenceDay!

Studies of butterflies and flowers by Maria Sibylla Merian and Margaretha de Heer, to finish up #InsectWeek.

It's still #InsectWeek. In the 17th c., the amazing German entomologist and scientific illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian traveled from Germany to Surinam to study its flora and fauna. Be sure to click on the image to see the insects surrounding this vase of flowers.

It's still #InsectWeek, so here's another work by Margaretha de Heer: Flowers, Insects, and Shells. After the 80 Years War with Spain, the Dutch were ready to enjoy the quiet pleasures of daily life and the natural world.

For #InsectWeek, here is Iris with Four Beetles and a Butterfly, by 17th c. Dutch artist Margaretha de Here, whose nature studies foreshadowed the fields of botany and biology.

For #NationalPinkDay, some hot pink works: Desert Moon, Lee Krasner: Pink2, by Helen Frankenthaler; and Untitled (from Salute) and Pallas Athena-Earth, by Grace Hartigan. #AbstractExpressionism #WomenArtists

Summer Slide, by Joan Mitchell. #SummerSolstice2025

Juneteenth poster by Synthia Saint James #BlackJoy #Juneteenth #Freedom

Charles Wilson Peale's portrait of his daughters, whom he encouraged to paint. Sarah Miriam was one of the first two women admitted to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts & the 1st working woman artist in America. #HappyFathersDay

The Flag is Bleeding, by Faith Ringgold #FlagDay #NoKingsInAmerica #ImmigrantRights

I've been all around this great big world And I seen all kind of girls Yeah, but I couldn't wait to get back in the states Back to the cutest girls in the world I wish they all could be California girls... #RIP Brian Wilson, from the little girl in the surfer shirt who did the Swim to your music!

I saw Mary Abbott's All Green at the Women of Abstract Expressionism show a few years back. It covered almost a whole wall, and was so radiant as to produce a visceral reaction.

We've come a long way since Linda Nochlin wrote Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? Celebrate by reading my blog (bit.ly/4kyoYn2) about Paris Spies-Gans' talk at the Getty on the occasion of their acquisition of Portrait of a Woman, by Sophie Fremiet. #WomensArt

For her birthday (#BOTD in 1879), here's a portrait of Vanessa Bell painting, by Duncan Grant. Members of the complicated Bloomsbury group, Clive Bell was Vanessa's husband, and Grant was the father of her child.

Miné Okubo is a Japanese-American writer and artist best known for her graphic novel, Citizen 13660, documenting life in the Topaz Relocation Center, including racism, isolation, and the difficulties of life in the camp. #AsianAmericanAndPacificIslanderHeritageMonth

Fruits and Wine, by British artist Sarah Miriam Peale. #NationalWineDay

Two versions of The Bath. Mary Cassatt (#BOTD in 1844), a trailblazing print maker, was influenced by Japanese prints such as this one by Utamaro. She used the plain background, the few figures, and the scene of everyday life favored by the Ukiyo-e artist.

Make a Wish, by Chinese artist Yu Hong. She combines the spacial composition of Buddhist narrative paintings, the gold background of Byzantine icons, & the tondo shape of Italian Baroque works to address women's rapid social changes. #AsianAmericanAndPacificIslanderHeritageMonth

Yun Suknam is a pioneering Korean feminist artist who challenges the Confucian ideal of the self-sacrificing woman. As you can see in this piece, Mother III, Suknam's sculptures are influenced by #Marisol and #LouiseNevelson. #AsianAmericanAndPacificIslanderHeritageMonth

Yes, it's #MothersDay, but it's also #NationalPetDay. So here's to all the #ChildlessCatWomen, like artist Gwen John, who made many portraits of her pets.

Morning Pray (lacquer on wood, 2024), by Vietnamese artist Vu Thu Hien, known for her delicate, dreamlike images of the soul, spirits, and the afterlife. #AsianPacificHeritageMonth

Cinco de Mayo, by Sharon Weaver. This day celebrates the Battle of Puebla, where Mexico brought down the reign of Napoleon III. It wouldn't be a celebration without Baile Folklorico! #CincoDeMayo

May Baskets, by illustrator Tasha Tudor. #HappyMayDay

For #InternationalDanceDay: Little Dancer, by Berthe Morisot; Dancing Bears, by Kiki Smith; Preparing for the Dance, by Uemura Shoen, and a photograph of Martha Graham, by Barbara Morgan.

Remembering all of those who died during the first genocide of the 20th c. #ArmenianGenocideRemembranceDay

Fellow authors, I love you, and I know it feels like we don’t have a choice, but B&N and Am*zon both scheduled sales this week to preempt Independent Bookstore Day, a hugely vital source of income for indie bookstores. Please don’t promote their sales; please promote your local indie this week.

Frida Kahlo and Aztec Earth goddess Cihuacoatl. #EarthDay

Lavinia Fontana's Noli Me Tangere (1581) tells the story of Mary Magdalene finding Christ's tomb empty (background), then encountering him in a garden, dressed as a gardener (foreground.) When she reaches out to touch him, Christ says, "Touch Me Not!" #Easter