La mujer escultora en el país vasco durante los años 80

Abstract

The presence of women sculptors in the Basque Country first became noticeable in the 1980s. Various feminist debates have tried to generate greater awareness to encourage the participation of female artists in cultural forums in the Basque Country and channel different visions towards intellectual thinking in order to enhance and broaden such thinking and create new viewpoints. The feminist debate has moved rapidly towards the centre of intellectual discussion which has made it possible to strengthen the role of the artist in society. Alongside this school of thought, postmodernism has produced a crisis in the habitual male control over artistic representation, allowing the presence of the female artist to become more solid in this context. Although there are fewer women in sculpture than painting, their prominence in the Basque Country is very important if we compare it to other autonomous regions, due to the historic importance of sculpture in Basque culture. Of the numerous different examples, we will look at the work of Juncal Ballestín, Dora Salazar and María Luisa Fernández.