Artiste negli anni Ottanta in Italia. Una riflessione a partire dal convegno 12 al 2000. Donna Arte organizzato da Fernanda Fedi nel 1988

Through the analysis of 12 al 200. Donna Arte, a conference organised in Milan by Fernanda Fedi in 1988—ten years after Donna Arte Società—this essay highlights key themes essential to understanding feminism and the “woman question” within the Italian art system of the 1980s. The concept of the emancipated woman, which gained momentum over the decade, developed alongside the growing recognition of professionalism—both asserted by women artists and legitimised by the institutional framework—as well as the ongoing demand for equality. Yet, as the 1988 conference demonstrates, such demands continued to encounter the inherent contradictions of a system that, despite appearances, persisted in marginalising women artists in both the art market and institutional exhibitions. A further focus of this study is the significant set of absences evident at the conference: the exclusion of emerging figures—particularly those born in the 1950s, who were beginning to assert themselves on the national art scene during the 1980s—raises crucial questions about generational visibility and recognition.