The abstract expressionism movement was predominantly showcased by men artists, which historically led to the exclusion of women from the art canon. Across three experiments (N = 800), we examined the attribution of male authorship using 160 abstract expressionist paintings and investigated whether artworks created by men and women are evaluated differently. Participants were more likely to attribute male authorship to the artworks, regardless of the artists’ gender, specifically if the artworks had higher levels of black paint and angular lines. Differences in art history-relevant attributes and subjective aesthetic ratings were driven by stylistic differences between artists not by their gender. Our findings highlight gender biases in evaluations of art, emphasizing ongoing challenges for women artists and the need to reassess societal biases in artistic recognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
