From the “Mom of Pop” to the “Papess of Op Art,” thirty brief portraits of female gallery owners by expert insider Claudia Herstatt.

Behind every successful artist is a good gallery. Many of the important male art dealers—from Ambroise Vollard to Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler—have immortalized themselves by publishing their memoirs. Yet with the exception of Peggy Guggenheim, little has been written about the women to whom credit is due for their promotion of art and individual artists: Betty Parsons supported Barnett Newman and Jackson Pollock until they achieved their international breakthroughs. Antonina Gmurzynska, a native of Warsaw, opened Westerners’ eyes to the artists of the eastern European avant-garde, eventually helping them gain recognition and bring in high prices for their work. Denise René is still regarded as the “Papess of Op Art,” and Ileana Sonnabend is, and will always be, the “Mom of Pop.” In a selection of thirty portraits, this book presents three generations of women who have pursued their ambitions in the gallery business—beginning with the pioneers and the powerful women who lead the market today to a new generation of self-assured young women gallerists who are now actively involved in the global art market and shaking the foundations of a traditionally male profession.