The purposes of this study was to develop a model for art curriculum which utilises a socially critical method of art criticism to interrogate the values, beliefs and power relationships embodied in the gendered images of the Western artistic tradition. Although the South Australian charter for public schooling is explicit in stating that education provides students with the critical skills necessary to participate in improving society and eliminating social justice, evidence was sought to substantiate the claim that art curriculum has been less than responsive to calls for a more inclusive curriculum. For example, it was considered that the methodology employed to teach analysis, history and criticism (Part A) of the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia Year 12 art curriculum, and the content itself, were biased towards art grounded in the Western fine art tradition. To find evidence of this, the research process involved a critical analysis of fifty randomly selected responses to the Part A examination conducted in 1992. A review of the data collected formed part of an ideological critique substantiating the assertion that art curriculum serves a hegemonic role by promoting art that unquestioningly reflects the interests of a dominant group at the expense of others. Central to developing a socially critical pedagogy which acknowledges diversity and makes clear whose interests are being served by particular art forms, is feminist/post structuralist theory concerning personal subjectivity. It is argued that 'self', or one's subjectivity, is the first site of domination by ideological construction and therefore a prime concern for developing empowering pedagogy. It is only through an understanding of how identity is formed and reformed by interaction with discourse that the individual can see their subjectivity in context and make informed decisions about where they choose to position themselves. For the art curriculum to provide opportunities for students to explore the origins of their subjectivity and judge for themselves the usefulness of particular orientations, specific principles for the analysis of art works are advocated. The first two principles form the premise upon which analysis of art work is undertaken. Their substance provides the necessary content or concepts for students to begin the task of deconstruction. The third principle outlines a methodology for the analysis and deconstruction of art works. When utilised in conjunction with one another, these principles constitute a model for guiding processes of curriculum review.