Women and the Economy of Modern Art in the Americas, 1930-1950
Women played a crucial role in shaping the networks, audiences, and markets that enabled Modern Art to flourish across the Americas. Yet many of these figures remain absent from dominant narratives of modernism. Who were these women and how might our understanding of Modern Art change when their contributions come into view?
The editors Beth Matusoff Merfish and Sandra Zalman invite submissions for their upcoming volume entitled “Women and the Economy of Modern Art in the Americas 1930-1950“. It explores the often overlooked role of women in shaping the development of Modern Art across the Americas during the World War II era, highlighting their contributions as collectors, patrons, curators and educated audiences.
While recent scholarship has begun to explore the influence of figures such as Abbie Aldrich Rockefeller, Dominique de Menil, Inés Amor and Peggy Guggenheim, the volume seeks to bring greater attention to the many other women who established artistic networks, supported artists and collectives and helped develop the art market that enabled the development of American Modernism. Contributions are encouraged to explore the impact of these women as well as the challenges they encountered. Particular emphasis should be placed on broadening perspectives beyond established centers of art production and reconsidering the gendered narratives that have shaped histories of modern art.
Researchers are invited to submit abstracts of max. 500 words for proposed book chapters (around 5,000 words). Abstracts should be sent by September 1, 2026 to both editors (Beth Matusoff Merfish, bmerfish@uh.edu; Sandra Zalman, szalman@uh.edu).
For more information regarding the Call for Paper click here.