The exhibition reveals the decisive turning points that marked the history of abstraction, at the same time as questioning its aesthetic canons, though without seeking to redefine a new one. It also moves beyond the idea of ​​a history of art seen as a succession of uniquely pioneering practices. By restoring "women artists" to their place within this history, the exhibition demonstrates its complexity and diversity. It opens with an unprecedented foray into the 19^th century and the rediscovery of Georgiana Houghton's work dating from the 1860s, overturning the chronology of the origins of abstraction by taking it back to its spiritualist roots. It then showcases some leading figures through mini-monographs that highlight artists rarely exhibited in Europe or unjustly eclipsed. Particular attention is given to the specific contexts which have surrounded, favoured or, on the contrary, limited the recognition of “women artists” – contexts that are simultaneously educational, social and institutional. The exhibition explains why many "women artists" did not necessarily seek recognition. It then returns to the positions of the artists themselves, with their complexities and their paradoxes. Some, like Sonia Delaunay-Terk, went beyond gender, while others, as in the case of Judy Chicago, lay claim to a "feminine" art.