Creating, exhibiting, selling… What if we added ‘struggling’ to the list of essentials for European women artists?
While art history has long made women artists invisible, the current economic reality continues to hinder their full recognition in Europe. Precarity disproportionately affects women artists, particularly Black women, limiting their access to opportunities, funding, and networks that shape a career. This financial instability not only slows their rise, but also influences their artistic production, sometimes forcing them to adapt their practice to material realities or sacrifice their creative ambitions for economic viability. As a woman, a Black woman, and a painter, I am directly confronted with these challenges, as are many other artists. Economic fragility in the art world is not new, but it hits women, especially those from racial minorities, even harder. In England, it wasn’t until 2017 that Black female painter Lubaina Himid was awarded the Turner Prize… This economic vulnerability is often tied to multiple factors, ranging from wage inequality to structural discrimination, and it has profound consequences on the creative process. It is crucial to understand the mechanisms through which this economic precarity shapes women’s art while considering strategies to combat these inequalities.
Economic Dependency: A Structural Obstacle for Female Artists
The inequalities that female artists face are not limited to gender. They often intersect with other forms of discrimination, such as racism or social class. This is what American jurist Kimberlé Crenshaw conceptualized under the term « intersectionality» : an approach that analyzes how multiple oppressions intersect and reinforce each other. Wetsi Mpoma, a Belgian curator and engaged gallery owner, testifies : “When you’re there, not knowing how you’ll feed yourself until the end of the month, you’re not creating. You have other things to do. You must respond to the economic emergency.” For Black artists, the necessity of juggling overwhelming financial pressures often takes precedence over creative freedom. Wetsi highlights that this instability forces artists to produce more commercial works, sometimes far from their true aspirations : “There are artists who dream at night of their committed canvases but produce cliché works just to please their collectors.” This dilemma between authentic expression and economic necessity is a reality faced by many artists who are forced to conform their work to market expectations. This phenomenon is not only about economic survival but is also a direct result of systemic inequalities in the artistic ecosystem. In Europe, women face additional obstacles in accessing exhibitions, funding, and networks necessary to make their work known. In France, according to the 2016 Government Report to Parliament on the state of visual arts, “Over the last 35 years, women artists represent 22% of public acquisitions,” notable progress, but still far from achieving equality that would allow women artists to sustain their activities. Furthermore, France lags behind neighboring countries, such as the United Kingdom, which have made efforts to reduce these inequalities, notably by organizing several retrospectives of Black British female artists, including those presented at Tate Britain.
Financial Insecurity Prevents Investment in Creation
The impact of this precariousness is deep. It forces many artists to take on multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet, at the expense of their artistic practice. Hiembi, a young Afrofeminist painter from Paris, shares that she currently babysits while also offering painting workshops. “I’m in a precarious situation, but I’m lucky to still live with my mother, which helps me save on rent. Otherwise, it would be very difficult,” she explains. This double life, between paid work and artistic practice, is a reality shared by many women in the arts sector, who are forced to sacrifice their creative time to ensure their livelihood.
Historically, European artists were able to rely on wealthy nobles and bourgeois patrons who funded their work, allowing them to dedicate themselves entirely to their creation. “What do patrons do? They give artists the opportunity to work for a year without worrying about material conditions, because that’s what fosters creativity,” explains Wetsi Mpoma. Without such financial support, many artists struggle to find the time to fully dedicate themselves to their art. While some may benefit from grants or artistic residencies, the reality is that these opportunities are rare, especially in a context where public and private subsidies are increasingly limited. Budget cuts in the cultural sector in Europe, such as the €50 million reduction imposed in France in 2025, further complicate the situation. Moreover, the precarious status of artists prevents them from benefiting from unemployment benefits in the event of a lack of work, further heightening the vulnerability of those who rely on their art for income. This lack of social security only worsens existing economic difficulties, and the combination of these factors severely hampers the ability of artists, particularly women, to focus on their creative output.
Survival Strategies or Adapting to Market Norms?
In this difficult context, some women artists are forced to resort to survival strategies, including using their image to attract attention and sell their work. On platforms like Instagram, some artists adopt poses or aesthetics that sexualize their image, not as an artistic choice, but as an economic necessity. Wetsi Mpoma, who observes this trend, explains : “On Instagram, I see young artists who sexualize themselves to gain visibility and sell. They use their bodies as a marketing tool, not by artistic choice, but by necessity.” This phenomenon reveals the omnipresence of the male gaze in the art industry, where women often have to conform to aesthetic expectations linked to the sexualization of their bodies in order to be seen and recognized.
This phenomenon is also observed by Hiembi, who notes, without judgment, that some artists are forced to adapt to the prevailing patriarchy. She views these practices as a strategy for those who must navigate a world where their art is never sufficiently recognized to be legitimized as such. This observation highlights the tension between creative freedom and the social and economic expectations placed on women artists.
Resisting the Pressure: Alternatives and Feminist Solidarities
Despite these challenges, many women artists refuse to submit to market dictates. Wetsi Mpoma, for example, has chosen not to work with artists who seek to please everyone. She prefers those who have a strong artistic vision and are willing to commit for the long term. This stance reflects a radical commitment that seeks to bypass the oppressive structures of the art market and create sustainable alternatives. One such alternative lies in solidarity between artists, particularly among women. Hiembi shares her experiences collaborating with other women, often in contexts where these women gave her a chance. Some women holding strategic positions in the cultural sector actively try to limit gender inequalities and promote women artists by offering them the opportunities they deserve. Furthermore, faced with precariousness, Hiembi, like other artists, is considering diversifying to generate additional income by developing workshops and targeting wealthier clients, such as businesses. These strategies help reconcile economic viability with artistic fulfillment, while also opening the door to wider recognition of their work.
A Long Fight Ahead…
Ultimately, women artists must double their efforts to make their voices heard in an art world still dominated by patriarchal structures and inequalities of class and race. These women face an unrelenting economic reality that impacts their creative process and their ability to establish themselves in the art world. However, collective strategies and feminist solidarity alternatives), carried by engaged women like “Le Cercle de l’Art” offer pathways to resist economic instability and profoundly transform still too often unfavorable environment for women.
The fight for equality in the art world is a daily struggle, but it is more crucial than ever to support these artists, who, through their resilience and commitment, are helping to redefine the history of art in Europe.
Picture: Jessica Lundi-léandre
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