An exhibition of one’s own: the Salón Femenino de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires, 1930s-1940s)

Abstract

From the late 1920s on, Buenos Aires witnessed the emergence of exhibition spaces of a separatist character for women artists. In spite of their importance, these regular shows have not received any attention from art history literature. Their vast development, the extensive coverage by the press, and their links to feminist institutions have gone completely unnoticed. Focusing on the Salón Femenino organized by the Club Argentino de Mujeres, the purpose of this article is to reconstruct the organization of these events, to examine their reception by art critics, and to analyze the careers of some of the participating women artists. These forgotten exhibitions offer a new perspective for the analysis of a period of intense feminine artistic activity in Argentina