Born December 23~ Sientje Mesdag-van Houten

Sientje Mesdag-van Houten (December 23, 1834-March 20, 1909) was a Dutch painter and art collector. Sientje and her husband, artist Hendrik Willem Mesdag, amassed a collection of nearly 350 works.
Biography on the Online Dictionary of Dutch Women:
http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/Houten/en

Blauwe Vaas by Sientje Mesdag-van Houten
N/D / Oil on canvas / 49-1/5″x39-2/5″ / Private collection

Sientje Mesdag-van Houten on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/sientje-mesdag-van-houten/

Further reading:
https://www.codart.nl/guide/agenda/sientje-mesdag-van-houten-vrouw-van-de-haagse-school/
https://www.ienvanderpol.nl/sientje-mesdag/
https://www.demesdagcollectie.nl/en

Born December 22~ Aya Takano

Aya Takano (born December 22, 1976) is a Japanese painter, illustrator, sci-fi writer, and manga artist. She is a member of the Japanese Superflat movement.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aya_Takano

Rising, Floating Energy and Flowers by Aya Takano
2013 / Oil on canvas / 35-3/4″x23-7/8″ / Private collection

Aya Takano on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/aya-takano/

Further reading:
https://ocula.com/artists/aya-takano/
https://www.cobosocial.com/dossiers/aya-takano-on-manifesting-a-utopia-in-the-imaginary-world-of-art/
https://pen-online.com/arts/aya-takanos-illustrations-depict-a-utopian-adolescence/

Born December 21~ Christine McHorse

Christine Nofchissey McHorse (December 21, 1948-February 17, 2021) was a Navajo ceramic artist who continually experimented with designs, materials, and firing techniques.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_McHorse

Spine by Christine McHorse
2010 / Micaceous clay / 27-1/4″ high / Christine Nofchissey McHorse Estate

Christine McHorse on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/christine-mchorse/

Further reading:
“The clay’s the thing: sculptor Christine Nofchissey McHorse”: https://bit.ly/3IQPXI9
https://westharlem.art/2021/03/20/christine-nofchissey-mchorse-navajo-ceramist-artist/
https://americanart.si.edu/blog/christine-mchorse-navajo-artist

Born December 20~ Beverly Pepper

Beverly Pepper (December 20, 1922-February 5, 2020) was an American artist known for her towering sculptures of steel, stone, iron, and earth.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Pepper

Toro by Beverly Pepper
1962 / Steel and wood / 73-3/4″x47″x23″ / San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA

Beverly Pepper on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/beverly-pepper/

Further reading:
https://www.fondazioneprogettibeverlypepper.com/en/
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/beverly-pepper-obituary-1770933
https://magazine.artland.com/female-iconoclasts-beverly-pepper/
https://thewomensstudio.net/2020/09/24/beverly-pepper/

Born December 19~ Gisèle Freund

Gisèle Freund (December 19, 1908-March 31, 2000) was a German-born French photographer, famous for her documentary photography and portraits of writers and artists.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gis%C3%A8le_Freund

Virginia Woolf with Her Dog by Gisèle Freund
1939 / Chromogenic print / 11-4/5″x7-13/16″ / The Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

Gisèle Freund on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/gis%C3%A8le-freund/

Further reading:
http://www.gisele-freund.com/
https://monoskop.org/Gis%C3%A8le_Freund
https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/freund-gisele
https://www.getty.edu/news/defining-society-with-photographer-gisele-freund/

Born December 18~ Marie-Guillemine Benoist

Marie-Guillemine Benoist (December 18, 1768-October 8, 1826) was a French neoclassical, historical, and genre painter.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Guillemine_Benoist

Portrait of Elisa Bonaparte, Grand Duchess of Tuscany by Marie-Guillemine Benoist
c.1805 / Oil on canvas / 84-1/4″x50-3/4″ / Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Mansi, Lucca, Italy

Marie-Guillemine Benoist on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/marie-guilhelmine-benoist/

Further reading:
https://artherstory.net/marie-guillemine-benoist-revolutionary-painter/
National Museum of Women in the Arts: https://bit.ly/3EZcSi2

French Ministry of Culture: https://bit.ly/3oVeBzB

Born December 17~ Paula Wilson

Paula Wilson (born December 17, 1975) is an American mixed-media artist creating works examining cultural history, individual identity, and the female persona.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Wilson

Data Unloaded by Paula Wilson
2008 / Collage, watercolor, colored pencil on paper / 41-1/4″x26″
Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY

Paula Wilson on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/paula-wilson/

Further reading:
https://paulajwilson.com/
https://traveler.marriott.com/storybooked/paula-wilson/
http://www.strangefirecollective.com/qa-paula-wilson

Born December 16~ Remedios Varo

Spanish-born artist Remedios Varo (December 16, 1908-October 8, 1963) combined traditional techniques and Surrealist methods with mystical and occult themes.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remedios_Varo

Exploración de las Fuentes del Río Orinoco by Remedios Varo
1959 / Oil on canvas / 18″x15-3/4″ / Private collection

Remedios Varo on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/remedios-varo/

Further reading:
https://nmwa.org/art/artists/remedios-varo/
https://mujeresartistasfemaleartists.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/remedios-varo-1st-part-english/
https://thewomensstudio.net/2018/04/30/remedios-vara/

Born December 15~ Ruth Henshaw Bascom

Ruth Henshaw Bascom, also known as Aunt Ruth, (December 15, 1772-February 16, 1848) was an American folk artist who produced over 1,400 portraits.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Henshaw_Bascom

Man with short Hair and white Stock, profile by Ruth Henshaw Bascom
ND / Graphite pencil and pastel on paper / 19″x14-1/4″ / Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

Ruth Henshaw Bascom on Artnet: http://www.artnet.com/artists/ruth-henshaw-miles-bascom/

Further reading:
https://usfolkart.com/index.php/product/ruth-henshaw-bascom-1772-1848-classic-portrait-of-a-brown-haired-young-girl-probably-massachusetts-circa-1830/
https://web.colby.edu/thelantern/2016/11/01/artist-attributed/
https://poulwebb.blogspot.com/2016/12/american-folk-art-part-18.html (scroll down for Ruth Henshaw Bascom)

Born December 14~ Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot

French artist Antoinette Cécile Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot (December 14, 1784-January 2, 1845) was among the most celebrated women painters in the early decades of the 19th century.
Biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortense_Haudebourt-Lescot

A Swiss guard, Full-Length by Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot
c.1810-1812 / Oil on canvas / 16″x12-3/4″ / Private collection

Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot on Artnet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hortense_Haudebourt-Lescot

Further reading:
https://nmwa.org/art/artists/antoine-cecile-hortense-haudebourt-lescot/
https://www.gallery19c.com/artists/204-hortense-haudebourt-lescot/overview/
Figuration Feminine: https://bit.ly/3oLGUjS