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Collecting Women: The Rise of Gender-Focused Art Collectors in the 21st Century

publication · 2026-04-23

Camille Morineau, a curator at the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, investigates collectors who prioritize women artists, drawing inspiration from Judy Chicago's 'The Dinner Party' (1974-79). This exploration culminated in her exhibition 'elles@centrepompidou' (2009-2011). Among the prominent collectors are Elizabeth Sackler, who established the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, founder of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; and Linda Lee Atler, who contributed 400 pieces to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 2010. Other notable figures include Sarah Peter, Barbara Lee, Margaret and Daniel Loeb, and Valeria Napoleone. Morineau contends that this focus on gender in collecting signifies a shift in 21st-century philanthropy and activism.

Key facts

  • Camille Morineau is a curator at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, and curated 'elles@centrepompidou' (2009-2011).
  • Judy Chicago's 'The Dinner Party' (1974-79) was first publicly shown at the San Francisco MoMA in 1979.
  • Elizabeth Sackler founded the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.
  • Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and Wallace F. Holladay founded the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., opened in 1987.
  • Linda Lee Atler donated 400 works by women artists to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 2010.
  • Barbara Lee is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.
  • Valeria Napoleone's collection includes over 200 works by women artists.
  • Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl collects European women photographers, with over 200 images.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Locations

  • San Francisco
  • United States
  • Paris
  • France
  • Brooklyn
  • New York
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Stockholm
  • Sweden
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Kensington Gardens
  • Lambeth
  • Kortrijk
  • Belgium
  • Philadelphia
  • Boston
  • Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Miami
  • Florida
  • Saint Louis
  • Missouri

Sources