Depictions of motherhood are ever present in Western art, yet rarely questioned or challenged. We may shy away from a subject that could be seen as sentimental or overly associated with idealistic constructs of femininity, nurture and care. Whether we are mothers ourselves, or whether we bring or nurture life in a wider sense, we all have some understanding of motherhood. We are all born of a woman’s body. We are formed from the messy, challenging, self-denying and transformative experiences of motherhood. Giving birth to their creations, artists have represented this vital and complex subject in a variety of ways, providing insight into what motherhood might mean, its joys and challenges, and seeking to articulate its unspoken aspects.

This beautiful gift book delves into the subject of motherhood as seen through the eyes of artists, providing a fresh insight into maternity as an art-historical subject and revealing the ways in which it has been confronted and re-imagined over the past 400 years. Featuring fifty artworks in a variety of media, this book is a celebration of motherhood in all its complexity.