The Female Body in Art
On sale
5th February 2026
Price: £30
From the Renaissance to the present day, this is the history of art told through the female form, with over 80 works of art.
A cultural mirror of the times, the female body has captivated both artists and audiences for centuries. But what can we learn from these pieces of art? What are they trying to tell us about the world we live in? And how has that changed over time?
Explore the luminous portraiture of Gustav Klimt, astonishing wartime photography from Lee Miller and the ground-breaking performance art of Marina Abramović. Meet Leonor Fini’s shepherdess, Barkley L. Hendricks’s ‘Madonna’, Graciela Iturbide’s ‘Medusa’, Toyin Ojih Odutola’s adventuresses and Hayv Kahraman’s ‘army of fierce women’.
Discover the idealized female body as envisioned by Sandro Botticelli and the gender non-conforming portraits of Zanele Muholi and Yuki Kihara, as Amy Dempsey looks at how and why the female body has been depicted time and time again, and why its portrayal has often delivered important messages about – and to – the world.
With a foreword by writer and curator, Hettie Judah.
A cultural mirror of the times, the female body has captivated both artists and audiences for centuries. But what can we learn from these pieces of art? What are they trying to tell us about the world we live in? And how has that changed over time?
Explore the luminous portraiture of Gustav Klimt, astonishing wartime photography from Lee Miller and the ground-breaking performance art of Marina Abramović. Meet Leonor Fini’s shepherdess, Barkley L. Hendricks’s ‘Madonna’, Graciela Iturbide’s ‘Medusa’, Toyin Ojih Odutola’s adventuresses and Hayv Kahraman’s ‘army of fierce women’.
Discover the idealized female body as envisioned by Sandro Botticelli and the gender non-conforming portraits of Zanele Muholi and Yuki Kihara, as Amy Dempsey looks at how and why the female body has been depicted time and time again, and why its portrayal has often delivered important messages about – and to – the world.
With a foreword by writer and curator, Hettie Judah.
Reviews
A project that is clearly doing important feminist and historiographic labor
"A beautifully illustrated chronology of women's bodies as depicted by 80 artists from the Renaissance to now." - Florence Hallett, The New World
A worthy addition to any art lover's library
In this gorgeous coffee table book, Amy Dempsey [... sheds] new light on the women behind the paintings
"A worthy addition to any art lover's library." - Publishers Weekly
"Punchy pieces sit beside a raft of unexpected choices and a lot of uncommon beauty..." - Dale Berning Sawa, The Art Newspaper
Punchy pieces sit beside a raft of unexpected choices and a lot of uncommon beauty
"This book explores not only the female form (yes, there are plenty of nudes) but so much more..." - David White, Artmag
This book explores not only the female form (yes, there are plenty of nudes) but so much more...
"A project that is clearly doing important feminist and historiographic labor." - Jonathan Michael Square, arts writer
A beautifully illustrated chronology of women's bodies as depicted by 80 artists from the Renaissance to now
"In this gorgeous coffee table book, Amy Dempsey [... sheds] new light on the women behind the paintings." - Sarah Barratt, Red