Who were the pioneering female painters and who are the best contemporary women painters around today? Highlighting artists from Gentileschi to Kahlo, art historian PL Henderson's new book, Unlocking Women's Art focuses on the female pioneers, visionaries and radicals of the painting medium. On a journey through Western art history and with references to diverse global artists, the fascinating lives of female painters and their artworks are discussed within their often challenging cultural contexts. In chapters which consider identity, muses and models, the domestic space, the Avant-garde, in addition to war, peace and protest, the world of women who paint is intriguingly unlocked. Why did early female artists ingeniously encode their self-portraits? How did nature as a theme open the doors to a forbidden professional realm? Which female painters shocked the art establishment with their daring portrayals of the nude? While these and many more interesting subjects are explored, in a similar format to her successful book Unravelling Women's Art, the author ends each chapter with interviews of contemporary, global female painters, allowing absorbing insights into their individual practices. Some of the contemporary artists interviewed include Shani Rhys James, Sungi Mlengeya and Sarah Maple.