50 Years Ago, She Broke Illustration’s Glass Ceiling
about 10 months ago (12/07/2023)
50 Years Ago, Barbara Nessim Broke Illustration’s Glass Ceiling Skip to content Barbara Nessim, “A Maze From Above” (1970), pen and ink and watercolor on paper, 14 x 10 1/4 inches (all images courtesy Derek Eller Gallery unless noted otherwise) Artist, illustrator, and designer Barbara Nessim is one of very few women who found full-time work in the American editorial and commercial arts sphere during the 1960s. Shattering the glass ceiling without so much as a glance over her shoulder, Nessim gained popularity early in her career through unabashed audacity, resourcefulness, and an open mind. Derek Eller Gallery in Manhattan is spotlighting 18 of Nessim’s works through December 23 in Balancing Act: Drawings 1969–1974 , an exhibition that seeks to contextualize the artist’s graphic portraiture of women against the backdrop of shifting gender roles and equity in the United States.