The canon was built by omission, not by merit

Hessel's foundational claim is that the standard art-history survey, epitomized by textbooks tracing an unbroken line of male geniuses, was never a neutral tally of the best work produced. It was assembled by critics, historians, and museum curators who, consciously or not, treated men's achievements as the default subject of art and women's as exceptions requiring special explanation. Access to training itself was rationed: women were barred from life-drawing classes well into the nineteenth century because nude models were considered improper for them to study, which crippled their ability to paint the large-scale historical and mythological scenes that curators prized most. The result was a feedback loop — women were excluded from the genres considered prestigious, then judged unworthy of inclusion because they worked in "lesser" genres like portraiture and still life. Takeaway: a canon shaped by unequal access will always look like it reflects unequal talent.