Women artists have been overlooked throughout history. Although steps are being taken to redress this imbalance, women remain underrepresented in collections and sometimes it can be difficult to find their works or even to know where to start looking. There are thousands of women artists represented on Art UK, and to give you a place to start exploring their works we have created 26 Curations of women artists, divided up by surname A-Z. The set of Curations contains works by 1,000 female artists in total. You won't find the likes of Frida Kahlo or Hilma af Klint as their works are not in UK public collections (yet), but you will find a wealth of art from works by Eileen Agar to Doris Zinkeisen – and plenty more in between.

Artists featured in this Curation: Paula Figueiroa Rego (1935–2022), Barbara Rae (b.1943), Henrietta Rae (1859–1928), Agnes Middleton Raeburn (1872–1955), Elizabeth Raikes (1907–1942), Stella Rankin (1915–2009), Mary Anna Florette Raphael (1861–1942), Sarah Raphael (1960–2001), Gwendolen Raverat (1885–1957), Ethel Louise Rawlins (1877–1974), and 48 more
58 artworks
  • Paula Rego (1935–2022)

    The Artist in Her Studio 1993
    Paula Figueiroa Rego (1935–2022)
    Acrylic on canvas
    H 180 x W 130 cm
    Leeds Museums and Galleries
    The Artist in Her Studio
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Bridgeman Images

  • Barbara Rae (b.1943)

    Stone Pier 1980
    Barbara Rae (b.1943)
    Oil on canvas
    H 184 x W 214.5 cm
    Highland Council
    Stone Pier
    © the artist. Image credit: Highland Council

  • Henrietta Rae (1859–1928)

    Spring's Awakening (The Snow Maidens) 1913
    Henrietta Rae (1859–1928)
    Oil on canvas
    H 106.7 x W 198.1 cm
    Glasgow Life Museums
    Spring's Awakening (The Snow Maidens)
    Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums

  • Agnes Middleton Raeburn (1872–1955)

    Spring, Dalry
    Agnes Middleton Raeburn (1872–1955)
    Oil on board
    H 23 x W 17.7 cm
    The Glasgow School of Art
    Spring, Dalry
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: The Glasgow School of Art

  • Elizabeth Raikes (1907–1942)

    Woman 1934
    Elizabeth Raikes (1907–1942)
    Alabaster
    H 22 x W 38 x D 25 cm
    Towner
    Woman
    Image credit: Towner

  • Stella Rankin (1915–2009)

    Commuters 2004
    Stella Rankin (1915–2009)
    Oil on canvas
    H 19 x W 24 cm
    Chelmsford Museums
    Commuters
    © the estate of Stella Rankin. Image credit: Chelmsford Museums

  • Mary Anna Florette Raphael (1861–1942)

    A Wood Nymph 1896
    Mary Anna Florette Raphael (1861–1942)
    Oil on canvas
    H 171 x W 100 cm
    The Wilson
    A Wood Nymph
    Image credit: The Cheltenham Trust and Cheltenham Borough Council

  • Sarah Raphael (1960–2001)

    Edward Chad Varah 1993
    Sarah Raphael (1960–2001)
    Oil on canvas laid on board
    H 34.6 x W 28.6 cm
    National Portrait Gallery, London
    Edward Chad Varah
    © National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

  • Gwendolen Raverat (1885–1957)

    Old Machines 1930s
    Gwendolen Raverat (1885–1957)
    Engraving on paper
    H 6.5 x W 9 cm
    Chippenham Museum
    Old Machines
    © estate of Gwen Raverat. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: Chippenham Museum

  • Ethel Louise Rawlins (1880–1940)

    7 High Street
    Ethel Louise Rawlins (1877–1974)
    Oil on canvas
    H 65 x W 77 cm
    Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft
    7 High Street
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft

  • Isabel Rawsthorne (1912–1992)

    Alan Rawsthorne 1966
    Isabel Rawsthorne (1912–1992)
    Oil on canvas
    H 65.8 x W 81.3 cm
    National Portrait Gallery, London
    Alan Rawsthorne
    © National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

  • Edith Ray (1905–1989)

    Ebb Tide, Cleddau, Pembrokeshire
    Edith Ray (1905–1989)
    Oil on board
    H 45.7 x W 58.4 cm
    Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
    Ebb Tide, Cleddau, Pembrokeshire
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery

  • Louise Rayner (1832–1924)

    'The Bell Inn', Market Place, Cambridge
    Louise Rayner (1832–1924)
    Watercolour on paper
    H 25.5 x W 33 cm
    Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
    'The Bell Inn', Market Place, Cambridge
    Image credit: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

  • Betty Rea (1904–1965)

    Girls in the Wind 1956–1957
    Betty Rea (1904–1965)
    Bronze
    H 55 x W 35 cm
    The Hepworth Wakefield
    Girls in the Wind
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: The Hepworth Wakefield

  • Catherine Read (1723–1778)

    Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806) 1765
    Catherine Read (1723–1778)
    Oil on canvas
    H 66 x W 54 cm
    Dr Johnson's House
    Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806)
    Image credit: Dr Johnson's House

  • Rachel Reckitt (1908–1995)

    Rice Planters c.1989
    Rachel Reckitt (1908–1995)
    Metal & wood
    H 60 x W 34 x D 110 cm
    Somerset County Council
    Rice Planters
    © The Golsoncott Foundation. Image credit: Somerset County Council

  • June Redfern (b.1951)

    The Grassy Beach 1995
    June Redfern (b.1951)
    Oil on linen
    H 43.8 x W 59.7 cm
    National Trust for Scotland, Culzean Castle, Garden & Country Park
    The Grassy Beach
    © June Redfern. All rights reserved, DACS 2023. Image credit: National Trust for Scotland, Culzean Castle, Garden & Country Park

  • Anne Redpath (1895–1965)

    Spanish Village c.1950
    Anne Redpath (1895–1965)
    Oil on board
    H 50.4 x W 60.8 cm
    Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
    Spanish Village
    © the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

  • Flora Macdonald Reid (1860–1945)

    Fieldworkers 1883
    Flora Macdonald Reid (1860–1945)
    Oil on canvas
    H 101.6 x W 61 cm
    The Fleming Collection
    Fieldworkers
    Image credit: The Fleming Collection

  • Nina Winder Reid (1891–1975)

    Atlantic Wave before 1933
    Nina Winder Reid (1891–1975)
    Oil on canvas
    H 70 x W 85.4 cm
    London Borough of Sutton Museum and Heritage Service
    Atlantic Wave
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: London Borough of Sutton Museum and Heritage Service

  • Adèle Reifenberg (1893–1986)

    Portrait of the Artist's Sister-in-Law, Elise Reifenberg (Gabriele Tergit) c.1928
    Adèle Reifenberg (1893–1986)
    Oil on canvas
    H 46 x W 36 cm
    Ben Uri Collection
    Portrait of the Artist's Sister-in-Law, Elise Reifenberg (Gabriele Tergit)
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection

  • Mary Remington (1910–2003)

    Marian Spencer as Mrs Foresight in Congreve's 'Love for Love', Phoenix and Haymarket Theatres, 1943–1947 1943–1944
    Mary Remington (1910–2003)
    Oil on canvas
    H 90.4 x W 70 cm
    University of Bristol Theatre Collection
    Marian Spencer as Mrs Foresight in Congreve's 'Love for Love', Phoenix and Haymarket Theatres, 1943–1947
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: University of Bristol Theatre Collection

  • Mary Rennell (1901–1981)

    A London Street Scene c.1937
    Mary Rennell (1901–1981)
    Oil on canvas
    H 85 x W 75 cm
    Bradford Museums and Galleries
    A London Street Scene
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Bradford Museums and Galleries

  • Joan Renton (b.1935)

    Olive Trees, Castagne to Carducci, Italy
    Joan Renton (b.1935)
    Oil on canvas
    H 122 x W 122 cm
    Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council
    Olive Trees, Castagne to Carducci, Italy
    © the artist. Image credit: Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

  • Lucy Elizabeth Babington Revel (1887–1961)

    Molly c.1935
    Lucy Elizabeth Babington Revel (1887–1961)
    Oil on plywood
    H 56.2 x W 40.3 cm
    Glasgow Life Museums
    Molly
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums

  • Frances Reynolds (1729–1807)

    Hannah More (1745–1833) c.1780
    Frances Reynolds (1729–1807)
    Oil on canvas
    H 73.6 x W 60.9 cm
    Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives
    Hannah More (1745–1833)
    Image credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

  • Anne Estelle Rice (1877–1959)

    Côte d'Azur c.1915
    Anne Estelle Rice (1877–1959)
    Oil on panel
    H 30 x W 40 cm
    Perth & Kinross Council
    Côte d'Azur
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Perth & Kinross Council

  • Frances Richards (1903–1985)

    Mystic mid-20th C
    Frances Richards (1903–1985)
    Tempera on hardboard prepared with gesso
    H 25 x W 18.3 cm
    Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
    Mystic
    © estate of Frances Richards. All rights reserved, DACS 2024. Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

  • Germaine Richier (1902–1959)

    Water 1953–1954
    Germaine Richier (1902–1959)
    Bronze
    H 144.1 x W 64 x D 98.3 cm
    Tate
    Water
    © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2024. Image credit: Tate

  • Jessie Beard Rickly (1895–1975)

    Survival of the Fittest c.1930
    Jessie Beard Rickly (1895–1975)
    Linocut on paper
    H 23 x W 30.5 cm
    American Museum & Gardens
    Survival of the Fittest
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: American Museum & Gardens

  • Jeanne-Françoise Ridderbosch (1754–1837)

    A Lady's Toilet
    Jeanne-Françoise Ridderbosch (1754–1837)
    Pen & ink on paper (?)
    H 33.7 x W 26.5 cm
    Wellcome Collection
    A Lady's Toilet
    Image credit: Wellcome Collection

  • Bridget Riley (b.1931)

    Movement in Squares 1961
    Bridget Riley (b.1931)
    Tempera on hardboard
    H 123.2 x W 121.2 cm
    Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre
    Movement in Squares
    © courtesy the artist and Karsten Schubert, London. Image credit: Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London

  • Edith Rimmington (1902–1986)

    The Decoy 1948
    Edith Rimmington (1902–1986)
    Oil on canvas
    H 35.5 x W 30.5 cm
    National Galleries of Scotland
    The Decoy
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: National Galleries of Scotland

  • Hannah Ritchie (active 1926–1932)

    Meije, Upper Savoy 1928
    Hannah Ritchie (active 1926–1932)
    Oil on canvas
    H 56 x W 46 cm
    Manchester Art Gallery
    Meije, Upper Savoy
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Manchester Art Gallery

  • Elizabeth Rivers (1903–1964)

    Cat and Egg
    Elizabeth Rivers (1903–1964)
    Oil on canvas
    H 56 x W 68.5 cm
    National Museums NI
    Cat and Egg
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: National Museums NI

  • Hilda Roberts (1901–1982)

    George Russell ('AE') (1867–1935) 1929
    Hilda Roberts (1901–1982)
    Oil on canvas
    H 76.2 x W 63.8 cm
    National Museums NI
    George Russell ('AE') (1867–1935)
    © National Museums Northern Ireland. Image credit: National Museums NI

  • Rachel Roberts (1908–c.1989)

    Hollington Church in the Wood
    Rachel Roberts (1908–c.1989)
    Wood engraving on paper
    H 8.9 x W 10.8 cm
    Museum & Art Swindon
    Hollington Church in the Wood
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Museum & Art Swindon

  • Anne Marjorie Robinson (1858–1924)

    The Baptism of Saint Brigit by Angels 1918
    Anne Marjorie Robinson (1858–1924)
    Oil on canvas
    H 134 x W 58.5 cm
    National Museums NI
    The Baptism of Saint Brigit by Angels
    Image credit: National Museums NI

  • Maria Dorothea Robinson (1850–1920)

    The Three Fishers' Wives
    Maria Dorothea Robinson (1850–1920)
    Oil on canvas
    H 116.8 x W 94 cm
    Leeds Museums and Galleries
    The Three Fishers' Wives
    Image credit: Leeds Museums and Galleries

  • Sheila Robinson (1925–1988)

    Red Tabby (Cat on Chair) 1971
    Sheila Robinson (1925–1988)
    Cardboard cut
    Fry Art Gallery
    Red Tabby (Cat on Chair)
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Fry Art Gallery

  • Zsuzsi Roboz (1929–2012)

    Professor William Bayne Fisher (1916–1984), Principal of the Graduate Society 1978
    Zsuzsi Roboz (1929–2012)
    Oil on canvas
    H 106 x W 76 cm
    Durham University
    Professor William Bayne Fisher (1916–1984), Principal of the Graduate Society
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Durham University

  • Marlene Rolfe (b.1946)

    Thames Panorama from Battersea Bridge 2002
    Marlene Rolfe (b.1946)
    Acrylic & pastel on paper
    H 118 x W 378 cm
    CW+
    Thames Panorama from Battersea Bridge
    © the artist. Image credit: CW+

  • Ellen Mary Rope (1855–1934)

    Benedictus Qui Venit in Nomine Domini 1907
    Ellen Mary Rope (1855–1934)
    Bronze
    H 55.4 x W 36.7 x D 1 cm
    Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection
    Benedictus Qui Venit in Nomine Domini
    Image credit: Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection

  • Gertrude Mary Rosenberg (1867–1913)

    Sunset on the Loire
    Gertrude Mary Rosenberg (1867–1913)
    Oil on canvas
    H 52 x W 71 cm
    Victoria Art Gallery
    Sunset on the Loire
    Image credit: Victoria Art Gallery

  • Vera Edith Ross (1899–1973)

    Celebration 1925
    Vera Edith Ross (1899–1973)
    Oil on canvas
    H 82.5 x W 107.5 cm
    Paintings Collection
    Celebration
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

  • Sara Rossberg (b.1952)

    Dame Anita Roddick 1995
    Sara Rossberg (b.1952)
    Watercolour on paper
    H 76.8 x W 56.5 cm
    National Portrait Gallery, London
    Dame Anita Roddick
    © National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London

  • Anne Rothenstein (b.1949)

    Black House
    Anne Rothenstein (b.1949)
    Paint & collage
    Fry Art Gallery
    Black House
    © the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Fry Art Gallery

  • Elsie Hugo Rowe (1890–1983)

    Three Blouses 1935
    Elsie Hugo Rowe (1890–1983)
    Oil on panel
    H 25.5 x W 20 cm
    Birmingham Museums Trust
    Three Blouses
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Birmingham Museums Trust

  • Mabel Alington Royds (1874–1941)

    Trees on a Slope
    Mabel Allington Royds (1874–1941)
    Colour woodcut on paper
    H 26 x W 22.7 cm
    National Galleries of Scotland
    Trees on a Slope
    Image credit: National Galleries of Scotland

  • Gerda Rubinstein (1931–2022)

    Screen 1999
    Gerda Rubinstein (1931–2022)
    Bronze
    H 152 x W 48 x D 20 cm
    Harlow Art Trust
    Screen
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Harlow Art Trust

  • Marisa Rueda (1941–2022)

    …And Afterwards They Erect Monuments 1976
    Marisa Rueda (1941–2022)
    Ceramic & wood
    H 56 x W 60 x D 61 cm
    Essex Collection of Art from Latin America
    …And Afterwards They Erect Monuments
    © Essex Collection of Art from Latin America. Image credit: Essex Collection of Art from Latin America

  • Victoria Russell (b.1962)

    Baroness Williams of Crosby 2007
    Victoria Russell (b.1962)
    Oil on canvas
    H 109.6 x W 93.8 cm
    Parliamentary Art Collection
    Baroness Williams of Crosby
    © Parliamentary Art Collection. Image credit: Parliamentary Art Collection

  • Barbara Mary Russon (1930–2007)

    Coal and Snow, First Impressions of a Welsh Valley: Abertillery 1960s–1980s
    Barbara Mary Russon (1930–2007)
    Oil on canvas
    H 117.9 x W 50.5 cm
    Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
    Coal and Snow, First Impressions of a Welsh Valley: Abertillery
    © the artist's estate. Image credit: Herbert Art Gallery & Museum

  • Meg Rutherford (1932–2006)

    Terrene c.1965
    Meg Rutherford (1932–2006)
    Bronze
    H 42 x W 33 x D 18 cm
    Southend Museums Service
    Terrene
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: Southend Museums Service

  • Rosemary Rutherford (1912–1972)

    VAD Nurse 1940
    Rosemary Rutherford (1912–1972)
    Pen on paper
    H 54 x W 40 cm
    The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art
    VAD Nurse
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: The Ingram Collection of Modern British and Contemporary Art

  • Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750)

    An Arrangement of Flowers by a Tree Trunk c.1683
    Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750)
    Oil on canvas
    H 93.7 x W 71.1 cm
    Glasgow Life Museums
    An Arrangement of Flowers by a Tree Trunk
    Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums

  • Sally Ryan (1916–1968)

    The Martinique 1934
    Sally Ryan (1916–1968)
    Bronze
    The New Art Gallery Walsall
    The Martinique
    © the copyright holder. Image credit: The New Art Gallery Walsall

  • Veronica Ryan (b.1956)

    Custard Apple (Annonaceae), Breadfruit (Moraceae), and Soursop (Annonaceae) 2021
    Veronica Ryan (b.1956)
    Marble & bronze
    Custard Apple (Annonaceae), Breadfruit (Moraceae), and Soursop (Annonaceae)
    © the artist, courtesy of Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Image credit: Tracy Jenkins / Art UK