Sharpie-ing the Exhibition by 31 Women into history, one artist at a time.
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Berenice Abbott (attributed to), Peggy Guggenheim poses in her New York gallery Art of This Century, October 1942. © 2024 Estate of Berenice Abbott © AP Photo / Tom Fitzsimmons.
About
In 1943, Peggy Guggenheim created a first-of-its-kind art exhibition while in exile during World War II. With little recognition and lots of criticism, Exhibition By 31 Women was the first documented all-female exhibition in the United States. Thirty-one artists were juried by Duchamp, Max Ernst, Bill Barr, and Peggy herself to bring together the artists. Some were established while others were names that had not, and have not, yet emerged from obscurity.
The 31 Women Collection works to permanently imprint this historic event and these incredible artists into art history. Today, over 300 works of art, 125 pieces of ephemera, and a growing library of 70+ books have been collected, cementing these groundbreaking contributions into U.S. art history.
Exhibitions
MAC/CCB MUSEUM | LISBON, PORTUGAL (2025)
31 Mujeres continues its journey, arriving in Lisbon, Portugal as 31 Mulheres at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea MAC/CCB (February–June 2025).
Organized by Fundación MAPFRE in collaboration with MAC/CCB, this exhibition explores how The 31 Women—hailing from Europe and the United States—boldly engaged with and redefined the dominant artistic movements of their time.
While many were linked to Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, they also challenged the patriarchal foundations of these movements, reshaping them through their own visions, experiences, and creative defiance.
FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE | MADRID, SPAIN (2024-25)
The 31 Women's next chapter unfolds in Madrid, Spain, with 31 Mujeres: An Exhibition By Peggy Guggenheim at Fundación MAPFRE (September 2024–January 2025).
Curated by Patricia Mayayo, this exhibition revisits and reinterprets Guggenheim’s groundbreaking 1943 show, once again presenting works by all 31 original artists.
More than a tribute, 31 Mujeres challenges the narratives that have historically measured these artists by their relationships with men, instead spotlighting the collaborations, solidarity, and friendships that defined their artistic community.
The 31 Women Collection
ART OF THIS CENTURY II | New york, nY (2023)
In May of 2023, The 31 Women Collection honored the groundbreaking legacy of Peggy Guggenheim’s 1943 Exhibition by 31 Women with a historic weeklong debut.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Guggenheim's revolutionary show, one work from each of the original 31 artists was carefully curated and returned to the very space where it all began: Guggenheim’s Art of This Century gallery in New York City.
In a bold tribute to the original exhibition, these works were presented to the public for 31 hours, reconnecting audiences with the trailblazing artists who reshaped modern art. The 31 Women Collection marks the beginning of our journey to sharpie The 31 Women into history!
Collaborations
Select works from The 31 Women Collection have been featured in the following exhibitions.
About
Jenna's Journey
Jenna Segal, Collector
What began as a whisper of curiosity for me in 1996 became a calling in 2020. When I first encountered the story of Exhibition by 31 Women, Peggy Guggenheim’s groundbreaking 1943 show at her Art of This Century gallery in her autobiography Out of this Century: Confessions of An Art Addict, I felt something stir—an urgency to listen more closely to these voices from the past. This wasn’t just an art historical footnote; the memoir was a female manifesto, a beacon, a challenge by Peggy daring the world to see a woman as a living, breathing human being...
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