Former Mistresses. Women, Art and Ideology | Book Launch

About the event

Former Mistresses. Women, Art and Ideology | Book Launch – meeting with Griselda Pollock (online), Grażyna Bastek, Agata Jakubowska and translator Agnieszka Nowak-Młynikowska. The meeting will be hosted by Marta Perchuć-Burzyńska. ✨ Date and Time: 23 October 2025, 6:00 PM 📍 Location: Zachęta cinema hall (entrance from Burschego Street) _____________________________________________________ We invite you to the Polish premiere of the book "Former Mistresses. Women, Art and Ideology" – one of the most important publications in the canon of feminist art history. Why is what art history considers "feminine" still often marginalized? Has feminist criticism already managed to change this field of knowledge? The new edition of this groundbreaking book, with an introduction by Griselda Pollock, challenges the art history written without the participation of women. Parker and Pollock have thoroughly analyzed the sexist assumptions of traditional art history, paving the way for a broader, more inclusive perspective on artistic creation in past eras. The researchers show how social relations between genders have changed and how female artists expressed in their work the experiences resulting from gender conditions. The authors encourage us to reinterpret the art of the past from a feminist perspective – and show how such reflection helps to better understand the work of contemporary female artists, who, through their actions, influence the perception of women and their place in the art world. In March 2020, Griselda Pollock was awarded the Holberg Prize for outstanding research achievements and the impact her scholarly work has had on thinking about gender, ideology, art, and visual culture over the past forty years. "Former Mistresses," Pollock's first major academic publication, is now part of the canon of feminist art history literature. Rozsika Parker (1945–2010) was a writer, critic, art historian, and psychotherapist. In 1984, she published "The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine," an important work on the connections between the history of embroidery, gender ideologies, and women's resistance expressed through their creativity. The project is supported by the British Council as part of the UK/Poland Season 2025. 📚 The book will be available for purchase in the cinema hall during the meeting. 📝 We encourage you to submit your needs for PJM translation at least three days before the meeting to the accessibility coordinator: Emilia Rudzka [email protected]; tel. 887 036 195 (contact possible via SMS and video call in PJM).