Zoom on women artists

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), based in Washington DC (USA), was founded in 1987 by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and Wallace F. Holladay. As the world’s first museum dedicated exclusively to recognising the talent of women artists across all artistic disciplines, the NMWA aims to raise the profile of women artists.

The Friends of the NMWA association in Paris, like 27 other associations worldwide, promotes the museum’s commitment to women and works to increase the visibility of female artists, particularly emerging artists living and working in France. Alongside cultural exchange, the Friends of the NMWA association develops several programmes each year in which it is involved both financially and through active volunteering.

To improve the visibility of women in museums, art fairs and galleries, the Friends of the NMWA have partnered closely with the ‘Some of Us’ project, the first anthology of the 21st-century female art scene in France. Three hundred artists are showcased through images of their iconic works; no such publication has ever been produced before.

And whilst the Friends’ mission, echoing that of the museum, centres on greater visibility, for the artists this involves building greater self-confidence and combating the infamous imposter syndrome. To this end, since 2020, the Friends of the NMWA have been coordinating the ‘One Artist – One entrepreneure”, which has already supported over a hundred female artists. https://www.lesamisdunmwa.fr/projets/#mentorat We are committed to helping female artists take their rightful place on the art scene in France! We are therefore delighted and honoured to be partners of Paris Gallery WE 2026 and to contribute to the “Spotlight on Women” initiative.

Zoom on women artist with Les Amis du NMWA

This route highlights exhibitions by women artists of different generations and practices, who offer plural points of view on today’s aesthetic and societal issues.

The map below shows the 46 galleries, spread between Matignon, the Marais, the North-East and Saint-Germain-des-Près: