Gallery: Here Are 7 Historic Female Artists You Need To Admire

Art is not an arena in which men possess any natural advantage. Instead, what they had was a political and cultural advantage, one that has not fully eroded to this day. This disproportionate representation in the halls of government and academia has resulted, thus far, in a list of famous artist that is, to put it mildly, light on the ladies.

One positive spin on this, though, is that ancient celebrities remain to be retroactively iconized. History turns out not to be dead, since our awareness of it is a work in progress.

In the spirit of this great awakening to the works of women, here are five brilliant artists from history who happened to be WOMEN.