When thinking about the history of art and the artists that come to mind, how many of those are women? Author, curator and art historian Katy Hessel reveals – shockingly – that only 1% of artists featured in the National Gallery collection in London are women. The Story Of Art Without Men is a glorious and pioneering corrective into female and gender non-conformist artists often overlooked and excluded from the past 500 years.

Starting back in the 1500s and travelling through to the 1990s, …Art Without Men takes the reader on a global journey and shines a spotlight on numerous artists and voices. Many artistic movements are covered from post-war to the Renaissance era. Hessel does a thoughtful and skilful job of representing greats we may recognise, such as photographer Cindy Sherman and sculptor Barbara Hepworth, but she also embraces many lesser-known artists, such as extraordinary painters Jadé Fadojutimi and Tarsila do Amaral.

I truly admire Hessel for this profound piece of work, and for aiding in the breaking down of the white male, Western, imperial canon within this industry. By shifting our gaze, she has enabled us to discover or even rediscover wonderful artists that have been overlooked for centuries due to gender, sexuality or ethnicity.