With its very effective title "Now You See Us", Tate Britain's current exhibition of women artists 1520-1920 shows pictures by artists who were often famous in their lifetime but which are rarely shown. One of the major figures for the 18th century is Katherine Read (1723-1778) on whom Professor Catriona Seth has worked extensively, including during fellowships at IASH in Edinburgh and the Bogliasco Foundation. Professor Seth contributed several articles to the catalogue and her texts are the basis of the exhibition texts about Read and her contemporary Anne Forbes.
Professor Seth commented: "It is a fantastic exhibition which shows how many women were in activity over the centuries. Read herself was an excellent portrait painter who was famous in her time. I hope more of her pictures will be shown to the public in the coming years."
