The report shows women make up 33.6 per cent of artists featured in state gallery programs in Australia.
The Countess Report, published every four years, is an independent and artist-run data collection initiative that tracks gender representation in Australia's visual arts sector.It has since grown to a team of four researchers, with backing from the National Association of Visual Artists , Creative Australia and the Sheila Foundation.
"But I think it's an opportune time to really reflect on why we continue returning to these traditional strongholds of the male artist." Wright says it's important to consider broader structural inequities faced by women when interpreting the findings. While state galleries and major museums continue to lag on gender representation, other parts of the visual arts sector fared better in the report. Commercial galleries, university art museums, contemporary art organisations, public galleries and Aboriginal-owned arts centres outperformed state galleries and major museums, reaching or surpassing gender parity.Major museums ranked lowest for representation, at 30.5 per cent.
Gaps remain for First Nations representation across contemporary art organisations, commercial galleries and public galleries. The data shows that among First Nations artists, gender inequity prevails with men outnumbering women artists in state gallery exhibitions and acquisitions.