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10 Female Pop Artists You Should Know
Get inspired 11 Jul 2023

10 Female Pop Artists You Should Know

female pop artists
Evelyne Axell, Le mur du son, 1966

Often unrecognized for their talent, female pop artists set the stage for the Feminist Art Movement in the 1960s. Today more works are being exhibited and these artists continue to offer incredible artistic production! So who are the top female pop artists? Artsper invites you to discover Pauline Boty, Rosalyn Drexler, Thandiwe Muriu… and many more!

1. Pauline Boty, one of the first female pop artists

Pauline Boty, It’s a Man’s World I, 1964
Pauline Boty, It’s a Man’s World I, 1964

Known as the originator of the English Pop Art movement, Pauline Boty has never been recognized for her true value. From the very beginning of her career she dealt with female sexuality by taking the opposite side of an omnipresent male gaze. In 1963, she made history with Scandal, a painting that denounced male domination in the art market. The following year, she created It’s a Man’s World I, a painting that was a precursor to contemporary feminism, as it addressed patriarchy from a systemic perspective. Inspiring, courageous and multi-talented, Pauline Boty is a pop artist you absolutely must know!

2. Thandiwe Muriu, the rising star contemporary art

female pop artists
Thandiwe Muriu, Camo 43, 2022, available on Artsper

Strongly influenced by the world of fashion and advertising, Thandiwe Muriu‘s work is frightfully effective. Simply seeing her work is enough to understand this.  Her photographs suck in the human eye, fascinate it, glue it in place. The artist highlights and celebrates Black women through afro hairstyles and Black skin on bright African fabrics.




3. Rosalyn Drexler, a founding artist and out of the ordinary feminist

Love and Violence
Rosalyn Drexler, Love and Violence, 1963

Precursor of the Pop Art movement, Rosalyn Drexler innovates both by technique and by feminism. Through her colorful and piquant works, she deals head-on with violence against women. Toxic masculinity, sexual assault and domestic violence, Drexler’s artistic approach is revolutionary, forcing elitists to acknowledge their misogyny.

4. Evelyne Axell, among the essential female pop artists

female pop artists
Evelyne Axell, Le joli mois de mai, 1970 © ADAGP, Paris

Between surrealism and pop art, Evelyne Axell is one of the artists to know. Specializing in the use of enamel on plastic, her work is unlike any other. She was also a pioneer of exploring sexual themes, many focusing on representations of female eroticism. Axell approaches the liberation and discovery of the female body in a way that was unheard of at the time: free and authentic.

5. Maria Qamar, taking back her power through art

Maria Qamar, Trump Slap, 2019
Maria Qamar, Trump Slap, 2019, available on Artsper

Strongly inspired by Roy Lichtenstein, Maria Qamar approaches contemporary issues with an unparalleled irony. Advertising themes in a Bollywood universe of racism, machismo, politics, Qamar uses art to settle her accounts with injustices. She takes back the power in a world where inequalities suffered by women – especially racialized women – remain unbearable yet tolerated.




6. Yayoi Kusama, one of the most famous female pop artists

female pop artists
Yayoi Kusama in the window of the Luis Vuitton store for the opening of her own collection, 2012

A crazy, colorful and explosive artist, Yayoi Kusama has been lining the walls of museums for years. She is nicknamed “the polka-dot princess” and is above all a queen in her field! And for good reason: she has been, since the ’60s, often the only woman to exhibit alongside men. Having contributed to building the Pop Art movement, she remains one of the most appreciated artists in the world. And if you were to wonder why, just attend one of her exhibitions, you will understand her success very quickly!

7. Magenta LN, among the most explosive female pop artists

Magenta LN, L'origine du monde 2021, 2021
Magenta LN, L’origine du monde 2021, 2021, available on Artsper

Mixing imagination, actuality and elements of personal life, Magenta LN is a bold pop artist as raw as she is elaborate. Her works are a search for and an affirmation of emancipation, the call for and the realization of a freedom, a refusal to obey domination. She paints proud and independent women, who assume their emotions as much as their sexuality. Her works are a vibrant feminist cocktail, to be discovered immediately!




8. Virginia Benedicto, offering joy of living and appeasement

female pop artists
Virginia Benedicto, L’artiste, 2021, available on Artsper

Soothing curves and welcoming colors are the key words of Virginia Benedicto. Her enthusiastic paintings are a real breath of fresh air!

9. Kiki Kogelnik, pop art and women in advertising

female pop artists
Kiki Kogelnik, War Baby, 1980, available on Artsper

An important figure in the Austrian pop movement, Kiki Kogelnik creates sculptures, paintings and installations. In her work, Kogelnik criticizes both our frantic consumption and the place of women in advertising. A feminine and feminist approach to art, whose apparent lightness does not detract from the depth of the message.




10. Elena Bulatova, glitter, lightness and acidulous notes

female pop artists
Elena Bulatova, You Are Awesome, 2019, available on Artsper

Having received numerous awards, Elena Bulatova’s work is a delight for the eyes and a treat for the heart! Her works are undeniably fresh in the subjects represented along with the colors and the message.

Female pop artists rule the world

As critical as colorful, the works of female pop artists are above all explosive! They claim a freedom to exult, communicate a joy of living and denounce injustices with fervor. A movement that we never tire of discovering and rediscovering! And you, who is your favorite artist?