Women Artists by Uta Grosenick
Don't think that because there are no male artists in this book that it's any less a comprehensive guide to 20th century art and art movements. And don't expect a quaint, lightweight offering: this hardcover baby weighs in at 576 pages and features more than 90 international artists from the twenties to the turn of the millennium. From painting, sculpture, and photography (of course) to concept art, performance, body art, video, feminist actions, installations, and interactive projects - a great diversity of themes and media are featured. The likes of Marina Abramovic, Laurie Anderson, Vanessa Beecroft, Louise Bourgeois, Sonia Delaunay, Nan Goldin, Barbara Hepworth, Jenny Holzer, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Barbara Kruger, Tamara de Lempicka, Mariko Mori, Yoko Ono, Meret Oppenheim, Elizabeth Peyton, Pipilotti Rist, Cindy Sherman, Rosemarie Trockel, Rachel Whiteread (and too many others to name) grace the pages of this tome, each artist represented by six pages of illustrations and photographs covering the various phases of her life and work, including biographical portraits and text. Presented in alphabetical order by artist, Women Artists is an indispensable reference guide, not to mention a beautiful book that's a joy to flip through.