Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Foundation

Etel Adnan, Emma Amos, Helène Aylon, Jo Baer, Firelei Báez, Jennifer Bartlett, Lynda Benglis, Merikokeb Berhanu, Carol Bove, Andrea Bowers, Cecily Brown, Rosemarie Castoro, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Judy Chicago, Mary Corse, Olga de Amaral, Aria Dean, Jadé Fadojutimi, Freedom Quilting Bee, Sonia Gomes, Jenna Gribbon, Mary Grigoriadis, Françoise Grossen, Trude Guermonprez, Marcia Hafif, Harmony Hammond, Zarina Hashmi, Mary Heilmann, Sheila Hicks, Jenny Holzer, Sheree Hovsepian, Jacqueline Humphries, Suzanne Jackson, Virginia Jaramillo, Rachel Jones, Allison Katz, Jutta Koether, Maria Lassnig, Simone Leigh, Sherrie Levine, Tau Lewis, Julie Mehretu, Joan Mitchell, Carrie Moyer, Elizabeth Murray, Senga Nengudi, Magdalene Odundo, Laura Owens, Helen Pashgian, Qunnie Pettway, Naudline Pierre, Howardena Pindell, Christina Quarles, Faith Ringgold, Veronica Ryan, Pinaree Sanpitak, Miriam Schapiro, Dana Schutz, Elizabeth Talford Scott, Joyce Scott, Judith Scott, Kay Sekimachi, Tschabalala Self, Joan Semmel, Amy Sillman, Lorna Simpson, Rose B. Simpson, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Joan Snyder, Janet Sobel, Pat Steir, Sarah Sze, Toshiko Takaezu, Lenore Tawney, Anne Truitt, Andra Ursuţa, Charline von Heyl, Kay Walkingstick, Marie Watt, Mary Weatherford, Anicka Yi, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Portia Zvavahera

Curated by Cecilia Alemani

The Shah Garg Foundation is pleased to present Making Their Mark, a major exhibition showcasing the works of more than 80 of the most significant women artists from the last eight decades. Curated by Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art and Curator of the 59th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, the exhibition marks the first public viewing of the Shah Garg Collection: a groundbreaking body of work by women collected by Komal Shah and her husband Gaurav Garg.

Making Their Mark champions the lives and work of women artists, bringing into vibrant relief their intergenerational relationships, formal and material breakthroughs, and historical impact. Through drawings, mixed media works, paintings, sculptures, and textile works, the artists of Making Their Mark rechart art history through their singular, iconic practices.

Importantly, Making Their Mark introduces a broader audience to the mission of the Shah Garg Foundation, which champions the work of women artists, from the modern era through the present day. Not only does this encourage viewers to expand their perspectives, but it also works to remedy the imbalances facing marginalized artists, helping arts institutions envision and enact a more equitable society. The Shah Garg Foundation is committed to expediting this work, with Making Their Mark introducing its curatorial vision to the public for the first time.

Following the New York exhibition, Making Their Mark will be presented at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (September 2024) and the Kemper Art Museum in St. Louis (September 2025).

This exhibition follows the release of “Making Their Mark: Art by Women in the Shah Garg Collection,” published in May 2023. Co-edited by Mark Godfrey and Katy Siegel, the book explores the bold vision and vast range of achievements of women artists in the Shah Garg Collection.

The Shah Garg Foundation supports scholarship and public engagement highlighting the achievements and innovations of women artists. Through a wide range of projects and partnerships with educational institutions, arts organizations, and arts leaders, the Foundation works to bring greater recognition to art by women and to rectify the underrepresentation of women in public collections, exhibitions, and art historical narratives. The Foundation offers strategic financial and programmatic support in service to its vision to achieve parity for women artists within the arts ecosystem.

Cecilia Alemani is an Italian curator based in New York. Since 2011, she has been the Donald R. Mullen, Jr Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, the public art program presented by the High Line in New York. In 2022, she curated The Milk of Dreams, the 59th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. In 2018, Alemani served as Artistic Director of the inaugural edition of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires. In 2017, she curated the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Originally from Ahmedabad, India, Komal Shah migrated to the US in 1991 to study computer science in California. After completing her Masters at Stanford, she obtained an MBA from the Haas School of Business at Berkeley, eventually holding positions in the executive suites of Oracle, Netscape, and Yahoo. In 2008, Shah left the tech industry to focus on philanthropic pursuits. She then began developing the Shah Garg Collection with her husband and tech entrepreneur Gaurav Garg, solidifying a vision for the collection’s emphasis on women artists in 2014. Today, they are focused on amplifying the voices of women artists and artists of color through the Shah Garg Foundation.