Katy Hessel

Katy Hessel is an art historian, curator, and broadcaster dedicated to championing women artists through books, podcasts, exhibitions, and media.

Katy Hessel is a leading art historian, curator, broadcaster, and author of The Story of Art Without Men, a groundbreaking book that explores 500 years of art by women. A Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, it was awarded Waterstones Book of the Year in 2022. She is also the force behind @thegreatwomenartists, an Instagram platform celebrating women artists since 2015.

A regular voice in the art world, Katy writes a fortnightly column for The Guardian and hosts The Great Women Artists Podcast, where she has interviewed over 130 artists and writers, including Marina Abramović and Tracey Emin. She is also the host of Death of an Artist: Krasner and Pollock, a series examining Lee Krasner’s legacy, and Dior Talks – Feminist Art, where she has interviewed icons like Judy Chicago.

In 2024, Katy launched Museums Without Men, an audio series highlighting works by women and gender non-conforming artists in major museum collections worldwide, including The Met, Tate Britain, and The Hepworth Wakefield. She has written and presented arts documentaries for the BBC, including Artemisia Gentileschi (2020) and Art on the BBC: Monet (2022).

A Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge and a Trustee at Charleston Trust, Katy has also been recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30. She has lectured at institutions including The Guggenheim, Tate, and The National Gallery, contributed to BBC Radio 3 and 4, and curated exhibitions at Victoria Miro Gallery, Kasmin Gallery, and Stephen Friedman Gallery. In a bold move, she even took over an entire floor of Tate Modern.

Passionate about championing emerging talent, Katy runs The Great Women Artists Residency at Palazzo Monti, supporting the next generation of artists since 2018.