Becoming a Woman in the Age of Enlightenment, Exhibit Catalogue

Becoming a Woman in the Age of Enlightenment -the exhibition- addressed fundamental questions about women’s lives in eighteenth century France.  Becoming a Woman -the catalogue- shows how visual artists explored all sides of this debate across nine thematic sections. 

The exhibition’s title evokes the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s famous statement in her 1949 book, The Second Sex, that “one is not born, but becomes a woman.” Following de Beauvoir, we understand ‘woman,’ like gender more generally, to be culturally determined rather than a natural category. Whether in 1949, today, or three centuries ago, women have always been defined through cultural, social, and political norms.

• Exhibit and publication by the Horvitz Foundation
• printed and bound in Verona, Italy
• 200 pages, softcover

Price $39.00

Member Price: $35.10