A new approach to art history through the evolution of the representation of the female body.

Ever since prehistoric times and the Venus of Willendorf, women have been objects of fantasy. Goddesses or prostitutes, virgins or witches, loving mothers or sexualized daughters: every last part of their bodies, have been depicted, framed, and overexposed by a largely male gaze. Featuring stunning iconography from countless celebrated artists, from Botticelli to Cindy Sherman, Picasso to Frida Kahlo, this book is an account of the evolution of the status of women, a journey through their sexual and political emancipation.