WILLIAMSBURG, VA.- Long overshadowed in the story of Abstract Expressionism, women artists played a pivotal role in shaping the artistic movement. A new exhibition at the Muscarelle Museum of Art spotlights these influential women, presenting nearly 50 paintings by 32 artists in “Abstract Expressionists: The Women,” on view Jan. 23-April 26.

The exhibition underscores the critical contributions these artists made to the growth of Abstract Expressionism through works that span the movement’s formative years in the late 1930s, peak visibility in the postwar era and later evolution through 1977. By examining stylistic crosscurrents among artists working in New York, California and Paris, the exhibition situates these painters within a broader international dialogue that defined mid-century abstraction.


Mercedes Matter, Untitled, 1936. Oil on canvas, 38 x 35 in. Courtesy of Mark Borghi, the Levett Collection, and FAMM. Photo: Fraser Marr.

The paintings are drawn from the renowned Christian Levett Collection and the FAMM (Female Artists of the Mougins Museum), France, and organized by the American Federation of Arts (AFA).

“Abstract Expressionists: The Women” reframes the history of Abstract Expressionism by returning women artists to the center of the story. For decades, women were treated as exceptions or peripheral figures in the movement — or consigned to the role of muse. This exhibition challenges that history, presenting these painters as key figures whose bold, original work helped shape one of the 20th century’s most influential artistic movements.

“It’s an important moment of recognition that we get to be part of at the Muscarelle,” said David Brashear, the museum’s director. “For many years, the story of Abstract Expressionism has overlooked its women pioneers. ‘Abstract Expressionists: The Women’ offers a more complete understanding of the artistic movement, highlighting the contributions of the ambitious and visionary women artists who were creating work alongside their more celebrated male peers. We hope our visitors find inspiration in both the powerful artworks and the stories behind them.”


Emiko Nakano, Composition in Yellow, 1957. Oil on canvas, 34 x 46 in. Courtesy of the Levett Collection and FAMM. Photo: Fraser Marr.

“Abstract Expressionists: The Women” unfolds across four thematic sections. The first, “The New York School” focuses on women artists working in New York City around the time of World War II. Figures such as Lee Krasner, Perle Fine and Mercedes Matter drew inspiration from Cubist and Surrealist artists who fled Nazi repression and brought new artistic ideas to Manhattan.

“San Francisco Early Years” shifts the focus west, emphasizing the greater creative freedom many artists experienced working in California. Innovative works by Claire Falkenstein, Ruth Armer and Emiko Nakano illustrate core principles and west coast contributions to Abstract Expressionism.


Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1946. Oil on canvas wrapped panel in artist's wood sculptural frame, 14 ¼ x 17 ¼ in. © The Falkenstein Foundation, Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY, the Levett Collection, and FAMM. Photo: Fraser Marr.

“A Tale of Two Cities: New York and Paris” considers how American female artists helped drive a creative cross-pollination, spotlighting cultural differences and similarities between the U.S. and France at midcentury. Joan Mitchell, Janice Biala, Amaranth Ehrenhalt and Claire Falkenstein are among the artists who lived and worked in Paris for significant periods, navigating and influencing both cultural contexts.

The final section, “Vocal Girls and Beyond,” highlights artists such as Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler and Grace Hartigan who were notable for articulating the ideas and intentions behind their work. Their willingness to speak openly challenged the prevailing belief, widely held by many of their more famous male contemporaries, that only one’s canvas should “speak.”


Perle Fine, Summer I, 1958-59. Oil and collage on canvas, 57 x 70 in. © 1960 A. E. Artworks, LLC, image used with permission. Courtesy of the Levett Collection and FAMM. Photo: Fraser Marr.

Works on view showcase the breadth of approaches women brought to Abstract Expressionism, from the vigorous engagement with movement and form in Elaine de Kooning’s “The Bull” (1959) to the emotional force in Joan Mitchell’s large-scale canvas “When They Were Gone” (1977) to Helen Frankenthaler’s innovative soak-stain method that created radiant hues in “Bending Blue” (1977).

The presentation is enhanced by contextual multimedia content, including an audio tour hosted by Bloomberg Connects and documentary videos, allowing visitors to engage more deeply with the artworks on view.


Sonja Sekula, Untitled, c. 1943-44. Oil on canvas, 25 1/3 x 29 1/8 in. © Sonja Sekula. Courtesy of the Levett Collection and FAMM. Photo: Fraser Marr.

The exhibition is accompanied by a free educational brochure produced by the AFA featuring lavish illustrations and a scholarly essay by Guest Curator Ellen G. Landau, Ph.D. An exhibition catalogue (Merrell Publishers, April 2023) provides greater insights into the world-class Levett Collection through in-depth analysis of each artist’s practice and rich reproductions of their work.

“Abstract Expressionists: The Women” is generously supported by Berry Campbell Gallery, Betsy Shack Barbanell, Monique Schoen Warshaw and Clare McKeon and the Clare McKeon Charitable Trust with additional support provided by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Every Page Foundation. The installation at the Muscarelle is made possible in part by supporting sponsors Mrs. Pamela Goodrich Palmore and Mr. Fred W. Palmore III; James D. Penny, Esq. and Mrs. Pamela Jordan Penny; Mrs. Judith Starkey and Mr. James H. Starkey III; and Mr. Christian Vinyard. Visit muscarelle.wm.edu for the full list of exhibition supporters.


Charlotte Park, Jubilee, 1955. Oil on canvas, 68 x 58 in. © James and Charlotte Brooks Foundation. Courtesy of Berry Campbell, the Levett Collection, and FAMM. Photo: Fraser Marr.

Following its presentation at the Muscarelle, the show will be on view at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky (May 23–Aug. 30, 2026), then the Grinnell College Museum of Art in Grinnell, Iowa (Sept. 19, 2026–Jan. 3, 2027). The tour comes to its final stop at the Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Alabama (Jan. 30–April 25, 2027).

Related events

Docent-led tours
Free, public tours of the exhibition are available Tuesday through Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 and 2 p.m. All tours last approximately 30 minutes.

Conversation with Collector Christian Levett
Jan. 22 at 4 p.m.

Collector and connoisseur Christian Levett will join Muscarelle Museum of Art Director David Brashear for a conversation about the origins of the collection featured in “Abstract Expressionists: The Women,” as well as his collecting journey and strategy.

Introducing Abstract Expressionism: An American Movement
Feb. 10 at 5 p.m.

As the U.S. worked its way through the Great Depression, an artistic energy developed in New York, with artists moving away from representational art and focusing their efforts on new approaches to abstraction. In this session, Muscarelle Director David Brashear will provide an overview of the players who changed the world of modern art.

Ninth Street Women: A Virtual Talk by Author Mary Gabriel
Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

The groundbreaking 2018 book “Ninth Street Women” chronicles the lives of five women artists who dared to enter the male-dominated world of 20th-century abstract painting. Christian Levett credits the book with sparking his own journey collecting the art that is featured in “Abstract Expressionists: The Women.” In this virtual talk, author Mary Gabriel will speak about these pioneering women artists who shaped an art movement — and history.

From Regionalism to Abstract Expressionism: American Art from the 1930s to the 1950s
March 4 at 5 p.m.

Erika Doss, the Edith O’Donnell Distinguished Chair at The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at The University of Texas at Dallas, will present about the transition from largely representational styles to abstraction in American art during the years of the Great Depression and the New Deal — and how it dramatically reshaped the American art market.

Abstract Expressionists: The Women
March 17 at 5 p.m.

Exhibition Curator Ellen Landau will expand the standard narrative of Abstract Expressionism, detailing the truly vital role of women artists in the development of the movement.