“It’s with the deeply held conviction that I’ll never be read, and the even more deeply held hope of the contrary, that I write my diary.”
Marie Bashkirtseff, Journal, February 2 1876.

Correspondences, diaries, memories, interviews, manifestos, theoretical essays…women artists have left us with a plethora of testimonies. This anthology brings together the words of 40 creators active in cosmopolitan and vibrant Paris, from the Belle Époque to the eve of World War 2, some well-known figures and others still under-represented – from Berthe Morisot to Nina Hamnett, including Camille Claudel, Sarah Bernhardt and Amrita Sher-Gil. Following the trajectory of an artist’s career – training, perseverance, organizing in groups, asserting oneself – this anthology highlights the singular journeys of these women, struggling with ambition, desire, efforts, difficulties and success.

Texts chosen and presented by Lucia Pesapane and Delphine Wanes
Preface by Camille Morineau

This anthology exists only in French.

This project received support from the Antoine de Galbert Foundation.