Out of the Picture

For centuries, women* around the world have shaped cities, designed buildings and helped to innovate the discipline of architecture. Yet their names are conspicuously absent from official history. OUT OF THE PICTURE delves deep into this blind spot and brings the women* behind architecture back into the picture.

‘Architecture will be the last profession to be liberated by women, because there is so much at stake.’ With these words by Ada Huxtable, An. Ash Smolar opens the documentary OUT OF THE PICTURE. The statement forms the starting point for an investigation into sexism in the world of architecture. Although there is growing awareness today about the repetition and reinforcement of inequality in both architectural education and practice, the film shows how hard the feminist struggle still needs to be fought.

Through the voices, works and life stories of twenty female architects, OUT OF THE PICTURE exposes the mechanisms of exclusion: missing archives and historiography, wage inequality, the glass ceiling, the dominance of male networks such as “boys” clubs’. With this look back at history, the documentary reveals the persistent sexism in architecture and our architectural culture, and confronts us with the urgent question: who gets access to the official framework?

The VAi is showing the film to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March 2026. In addition, the VAi is committed to making missing archives visible. The WIKI Women Design Project sheds light on the crucial role of women* in design history and makes their contributions visible. The knowledge dossier Women* in Architecture and Design contains valuable resources to stimulate further research and guide researchers to fascinating information about the work of women* in the fields of design, architecture and applied arts.

*We use an asterisk for women* to express inclusivity and draw attention to the diversity within this group. The asterisk indicates that the term includes not only cisgender women (women whose gender identity corresponds to the sex assigned to them at birth), but also trans women, non-binary persons who identify with femininity, and other gender identities that fall under the umbrella of femininity. Using the asterisk helps us communicate a broader and more inclusive definition of femininity.