At 101, American artist Ce Roser is preparing for her European debut at London’s VeneKlasen gallery, while reflecting on the activism that helped challenge the exclusion of women from the art world. In 1971, frustrated that female artists, writers and poets struggled to secure exhibitions and careers, she helped establish the Women in the Arts Foundation, whose lively demonstrations in New York forced institutions to confront the imbalance.

The campaign culminated in the 1973 exhibition *Women Choose Women*, featuring 111 artists selected through a democratic nomination process. Roser, now still producing around three paintings a day, also recalls her international upbringing and wartime experiences, including escaping Shanghai and later raising a multilingual son while married to a US diplomat; her career spans more than 70 years.