Born in New York in 1936, Joan Jonas has been a towering figure in postwar Conceptual and experimental Performance art since the 1960s, when she began her pioneering exploration of gender and identity through a combination of myth, choreography and new media. In 2007, she was a visiting professor at the world-famous Ratti Foundation in Como, Italy. While there, she turned to a text by art historian Aby Warburg (whose writings on Hopi imagery and ritual inspired Jonas' 2005 performance "The Shape, the Scent, the Feel of Things") to create "The Hand Reverts to Its Own Movement," a solo performance centered on the act of drawing. This substantial new monograph spans 40 years of the artist's groundbreaking output and introduces her new performance on the occasion of its world premiere in Como.

Five centuries of fascinating female creativity presented in more than 400 compelling artworks and one comprehensive volume The most extensive fully illustrated book of women artists ever published, Great Women Artists reflects an era where art made by women is more prominent than ever. In museums, galleries, and the art market, previously overlooked female artists, past and present, are now gaining recognition and value. Featuring more than 400 artists from more than 50 countries and spanning 500 years of creativity, each artist is represented here by a key artwork and short text. This essential volume reveals a parallel yet equally engaging history of art for an age that champions a greater diversity of voices. "Real changes are upon us, and today one can reel off the names of a number of first-rate women artists. Nevertheless, women are just getting started."—The New Yorker