Pacita Abad, Emma Amos, Sheila Hicks
‘EIGHTY YEARS OF WOMEN ARTISTS TRANSFORMING ABSTRACTION’, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS (NWA), WASHINGTON DC: UNTIL 26 JULY
27 February – 26 July 2026
‘Eighty Years of Women Artists Transforming Abstraction’ National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, February – July 2026. Photo: Kevin Allen
‘Eighty Years of Women Artists Transforming Abstraction’ National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, February – July 2026. Photo: Kevin Allen
‘Eighty Years of Women Artists Transforming Abstraction’ National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, February – July 2026. Photo: Kevin Allen
National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) presents ‘Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection’, a groundbreaking exhibition showcasing the vital role of women artists in abstract art. Exhibiting 80 works by 69 influential and boundary-pushing women artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, Sheila Hicks is exhibited alongside Magdalena Abakanowicz, Cecily Brown, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Joan Mitchell, Wangechi Mutu, Faith Ringgold, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sillman, Lorna Simpson, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Pat Steir, Sarah Sze, Kara Walker and Zarina.
Through paintings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and mixed-media works from 1946 to 2024, ‘Making Their Mark’ illuminates the myriad ways women artists explore, expand and interrogate the boundaries of abstract art to foster vital discussion about representation, identity and power. The exhibition considers historical contributions, formal and material breakthroughs and intergenerational relationships among women artists, including many who pioneered abstraction over the last seven decades. In presenting a rich and interwoven picture of contemporary art history, the show also highlights the stories and voices of underrepresented artists.
One of the largest exhibitions to survey women in abstraction, ‘Making Their Mark’ is organised by the Making Their Mark Foundation. The exhibition is curated by Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director and Chief Curator of High Line Arts in New York City, and the work is drawn entirely from the art collection built by Komal Shah and her husband, Gaurav Garg, dedicated to championing contemporary art by women.
Previous versions of ‘Making Their Mark’ have been exhibited at the former Dia Foundation building in Chelsea, New York (2023–24); the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2024–25); and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (September 2025–January 2026). Following its presentation at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the exhibition will travel to Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, with additional venues to be announced soon.