This online exhibition takes its cue from Recalculating Art, an eye-opening new BBC4 radio exposé by Dr Helen Gorrill which reveals that for every £1 a male artist earns for his work at auction, a woman earns a mere 10 pence. It is a groundbreaking study of gender and value, in which Gorrill proves that there are few aesthetic differences between men and women’s painting, but yet considerable disparity in the market.

As part of her research, Gorrill has discovered that although prices for work by female artists are starting from a far lower base, they are currently rising 29% faster than for art by men. This selection therefore features a number of works by female artists who have recently enjoyed a large upturn at auction – including Evelyn Dunbar, Ithell Colquhoun, and Tirzah Garwood. Conversely, only a handful of works by artists such as Edith Rimmington or Kathleen Guthrie have ever passed through auction, which both hints at markets yet to be tested, while underscoring the studies of Gorrill and others.

Recalculating Art is available now on the BBC iPlayer. Further details may be found via the link below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019z2b