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.
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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
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Barbara Rae (b.1943)
Stone Pier 1980
Barbara Rae (b.1943)
Oil on canvas
H 184 x W 214.5 cm
Highland Council
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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
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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
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Elizabeth Raikes (1907–1942)
Woman 1934
Elizabeth Raikes (1907–1942)
Alabaster
H 22 x W 38 x D 25 cm
Towner
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Stella Rankin (1915–2009)
Commuters 2004
Stella Rankin (1915–2009)
Oil on canvas
H 19 x W 24 cm
Chelmsford Museums
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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
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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
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Gwendolen Raverat (1885–1957)
Old Machines 1930s
Gwendolen Raverat (1885–1957)
Engraving on paper
H 6.5 x W 9 cm
Chippenham Museum
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Betty Rea (1904–1965)
Girls in the Wind 1956–1957
Betty Rea (1904–1965)
Bronze
H 55 x W 35 cm
The Hepworth Wakefield
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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
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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
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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
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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
© the artist's estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Germaine Richier (1902–1959)
Water 1953–1954
Germaine Richier (1902–1959)
Bronze
H 144.1 x W 64 x D 98.3 cm
Tate
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Elizabeth Rivers (1903–1964)
Cat and Egg
Elizabeth Rivers (1903–1964)
Oil on canvas
H 56 x W 68.5 cm
National Museums NI
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Sheila Robinson (1925–1988)
Red Tabby (Cat on Chair) 1971
Sheila Robinson (1925–1988)
Cardboard cut
Fry Art Gallery
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Zsuzsi Roboz (1929–2012)
Professor William Bayne Fisher (1916–1984), Principal of the Graduate Society 1978
Zsuzsa Roboz (1929–2012)
Oil on canvas
H 106 x W 76 cm
Durham University
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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+
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Anne Rothenstein (b.1949)
Black House
Anne Rothenstein (b.1949)
Paint & collage
Fry Art Gallery
© the artist / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Fry Art Gallery
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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
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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
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Gerda Rubinstein (1931–2022)
Screen 1999
Gerda Rubinstein (1931–2022)
Bronze
H 152 x W 48 x D 20 cm
Harlow Art Trust
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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
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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
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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
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Meg Rutherford (1932–2006)
Terrene c.1965
Meg Rutherford (1932–2006)
Bronze
H 42 x W 33 x D 18 cm
Southend Museums Service
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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
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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
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Sally Ryan (1916–1968)
The Martinique 1934
Sally Ryan (1916–1968)
Bronze
The New Art Gallery Walsall
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Veronica Ryan (b.1956)
Custard Apple (Annonaceae), Breadfruit (Moraceae), and Soursop (Annonaceae) 2021
Veronica Ryan (b.1956)
Marble & bronze