WASHINGTON—A groundbreaking exhibition showcasing the vital role of women artists in abstract art will be on view at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) from February 27 through July 26, 2026. Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection presents 80 works by 69 influential and boundary-pushing women artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Cecily Brown, Sheila Hicks, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Joan Mitchell, Wangechi Mutu, Faith Ringgold, Tschabalala Self, Amy Sillman, Lorna Simpson, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Pat Steir, Sarah Sze, Kara Walker and Zarina.
One of the largest exhibitions to survey women in abstraction, Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection is organized by the Making Their Mark Foundation. The exhibition is curated by Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director and Chief Curator of High Line Arts in New York City, and the work is drawn entirely from the art collection built by Komal Shah and her husband, Gaurav Garg, dedicated to championing contemporary art by women.
Through paintings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and mixed-media works from 1946 to 2024, Making Their Mark illuminates the myriad ways women artists explore, expand and interrogate the boundaries of abstract art to foster vital discussion about representation, identity and power. The exhibition considers historical contributions, formal and material breakthroughs and intergenerational relationships among women artists, including many who pioneered abstraction over the last seven decades. In presenting a rich and interwoven picture of contemporary art history, the show also highlights the stories and voices of underrepresented artists.
“We are thrilled to present this outstanding exhibition, which shows how women artists were and are central to the development of abstract art,” said NMWA director Susan Fisher Sterling. “We greatly appreciate Komal Shah’s extraordinary vision, which dovetails with NMWA’s work to champion women artists.”
Previous versions of Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection were seen at the former Dia Foundation building in Chelsea, New York (2023–24); the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2024–25); and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis (September 2025–January 2026). Following its presentation at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the exhibition will travel to Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, with additional venues to be announced soon.
“We are excited to bring this powerful show to Washington, D.C. This will be the first time that the exhibition will be seen within the context of a women-focused institution,” noted NMWA assistant curator Hannah Shambroom. “Visitors will be able to explore connections between works in this show and across our collection. NMWA’s broader perspective of drawing connections across varied mediums and practices is a fitting lens through which to consider these groundbreaking artists.”
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