A major exhibition on Artemisia Gentileschi’s paintings just opened at the National Gallery in London.

The New York Times reports: “The National Gallery opted for a one-word title for its new blockbuster show: ‘Artemisia.’ The name of the exhibition, which opened on Saturday and runs through Jan. 24, 2021, has a pop star ring, befitting the most celebrated female artist of the 17th century.”

Gentileschi’s “Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria” is the centerpiece of the current exhibition.

According to The New York Times, “In 2018, the National Gallery acquired its first work by Gentileschi, ‘Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria,’ making her only the eighth female artist in a collection that has work by more than 700 men. The curatorial team recognized the opportunity to stage a major monographic show, which would resonate with the #MeToo movement and help counter the gender imbalance of the collection.”

Northern Illinois University students in HIST 422 Early Modern Europe and in Renaissance studies will be interested in this exhibition.

For more information on the remarkable career of Artemisia Gentileschi, see:

Sheila Barker, ed., Artemisia Gentileschi in a Changing Light (Turnhout: Harvey Miller/Brepols, 2017). [Book description at Brepols.]

Sheila Barker, ed., Women Artists in Early Modern Italy. Careers, Fame, and Collectors (Turnhout: Harvey Miller/Brepols, 2016). [Book description at Brepols.]

Jane Fortune, ed. Invisible Women: Forgotten Artists of Florence (Florence: Florentine Press, 2009).

Fedrika J. Jacobs, Defining the Renaissance ‘Virtuosa’: Women Artists and the Language of Art History and Criticism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997).

Paola Tinagli, Paola Tinagli Baxter, Mary Rogers, Paulo Tinagli, eds., Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997).

The New York Times reports on the opening of the Artemesia exhibition on Saturday 3 October 2020.