Feminization of Art Domain A Sociological Glance: History asked, the Present Viewed

To study the relationship between art and women in history and to scan the evolution of such relationship at the beginning of the 21th century is what this article takes on to study. It uses Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of heirs. The article consists of two parts; the first part deals with a historical overview of women in art history and with feminization of art domain showing that as social developments progress, the presence of women in art becomes more pronounced. The second part, using the findings of a survey research, will show the extent to which social factors such as family, social class, education and entrepreneurship, determine the increasing role women play role in the fields of art and culture. While one of vital questions in art history is the absence of women among great artists, the women’s siege of the art domain at the beginning of this century is indicative of the fact that unfavorable historical conditions (discriminatory civil law) and social factors such as banning art education for women, can be regarded as the most important factors for such absence.