We have explored a wide range of exhibitions dedicated to women artists in the last few posts, looking at events in London, Madrid and Brescia.
Robilant+Voena in New York will join the trend launching in December the exhibition "Ahead of her Time: Pioneering Women from the Renaissance to the Twentieth Century" (5th December 2023 - 10th February 2024).
Curated by Dr. Virginia Brilliant, Director of Old Masters at Robilant+Voena, this event will showcase over 30 works by women artists from Europe (with particular attention to Italy and France) and America, spanning five centuries."Ahead of Her Time" will feature masterpieces by Old Master and 19th to 20th-century women artists, complemented by portraits and works (some of them unseen as part of private collections and now on public display for the first time in generations) belonging to influential women in the art and culture fields.
Some of these visionaries are well-known pioneers in their fields, others are not so famous; all of them defied societal norms throughout history in their lives and work.This journey of discovery begins with a celebration of 16th and 17th-century Italian women painters, including Orsola Maddalena Caccia (who was a nun, a talented artist and a shrewd businesswoman), Lavinia Fontana, Fede Galizia, and Artemisia Gentileschi (works by these last three artists are also included in the exhibition "Maestras" currently on at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid).
These artists received their initial training from their fathers and went on to establish unique styles, launching their careers in societies where independent female artists were a rarity.
Rediscovering them also allows us to make comparisons between the different ways they all portrayed the same scene of Judith with the head of Holofernes (Fede Galizia was the first one of them to be drawn to the subject): Fede Galizia for example put emphasis on the richness of the gown worn by Judith, while the maid is in the background; Fontana and Gentileschi instead tended to represent Judith and the maid as two women part of the same team, collaborating in beheading Holofernes.
The exhibition then highlights 18th century artists like Angelica Kauffman, Rosalba Carreira, and Adelaide Labille-Guiard, emphasizing the challenges women faced despite increasing opportunities in artistic education.
Labille-Guiard limited herself, for example, to the genre of portraiture, and Kauffmann left England for the Continent where history paintings by women found greater acceptance.
Mary Beale worked in London as a painter and writer, providing for her family through her professional work. She was also a pioneer for other reasons: in 1663 she completed the manuscript Observations, that remained unpublished, but became the earliest known educational text in English about the act of painting written by a female painter (the text explained how to paint apricots).
The women painters of Sèvres, who produced some of the finest works in porcelain to emerge from the Royal Manufactory, were also excceptional as proved by the sophisticated examples on display. But there are more artists to discover, including Anne Vallayer-Coster, who painted exquisite still lifes like the one with shells and corals, and Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot who was a portraitist. Both capitalized on post-Revolutionary France's newfound freedom to pursue their artistic careers, surprising male contemporaries with their talent.
Moving into the 19th century, artists such as Erminia de Sanctis and Victoria Dubourg explored unique genres and styles, adapting to evolving societal trends. Several artists in the exhibition actually demonstrate their receptiveness to the changing trends and fashions in society, creating works depicting popular literary or historical subjects, or incorporating the latest craze of Japonisme, as evident in a striking painting of flowers in a delicate porcelain vase by Grace Adelaide Fletcher. The exhibition also features objects reflecting the broader impact of women in society, including a portrait of the Brontë sisters by their brother Patrick Branwell Brontë, and a carved ivory tusk that stands as a testament to the British adventurer Baroness Anne Brassey.
The 20th century brings to light American women painters who built upon the progress of their European predecessors, infusing their works with expressions of political equality struggles. In this section the exhibit unveils previously unseen works, including a unique double-sided canvas from 1919 depicting British writers and lovers Vita Sackville-West and Violet Trefusis, newly attributed to Augustus John, a discovery made through research for the exhibition.
In the 20th century, female American painters embraced the advancements pioneered by their European predecessors. Many of these artists integrated subtle expressions of their growing struggles for political equality into their works.
Laura Coombs Hill shed light on the challenging coexistence of personal independence and familial responsibility through an intimate drawing of her cousin. Grace Gassette's enigmatic full-length portrait of a lady reminds us of the extraordinary life of this painter and sculptor.
During the First World War, initially responsible for surgical supplies at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Gassette assumed the role of technical director of the Franco-American Corrective Surgical Appliance Committee in 1916. In this capacity, she leveraged her profound understanding of anatomy, honed through figure drawing, to innovate and design orthopedic devices for injured soldiers.
The exhibition not only unveils uknown masterpieces but also invites us to reflect on the evolving landscape of gender equality and the transformative power of art.
The diverse range of trailblazing women artists included in this event pays indeed tribute to the resilience, ingenuity, and determination of the female spirit across centuries. Their struggles and triumphs should serve as an inspiration for contemporary women aspiring to creative self-expression and exploration.
"Ahead of Her Time" also includes a tactile reproduction of a still life painting by Orsola Maddalena Caccia for blind and partially-sighted visitors, adding a further inclusive dimension to the appreciation of art and underlining the importance of organizing similar initiatives. By doing so, galleries and museums can indeed broaden their accessibility, welcoming a more diverse audience.
Image credits for this post
Lavinia Fontana
Self-Portrait, c. 1579-80
Oil on silver copper
14 x 10 cm
Fede Galizia
Judith with the Head of Holofernes, c. 1622
Signed 'FEDE GALITIA' (on the seam of the sack, lower left). Old inventory number 'No. 208' (on the reverse of original canvas)
Oil on canvas 127 x 95.5 cm
Orsola Maddalena Caccia
Still Life with Vase of Lilies, Tuberoses, Irises, Daffodils, Jasmine, Tulips, and a Red Peony on a Table Top, with Cherries, Peaches, and Lemons, c. 1630s
Oil on canvas
88.5 x 62.5 cm
Artemisia Gentileschi
The Penitent Magdalene, c. 1626
Oil on canvas
81 x 68.5 cm
Grace Adelaide Fletcher
Cherry Blossoms in a Vase, 1886
Signed and dated 'Grace Fletcher/Japan/1886' (lower left)
Oil on canvas
109.8 x 54.2 cm
Grace Gassette
Portrait of a Lady, 1907
Signed and dated 'Grace Gassette 1907' (lower right)
Oil on canvas
177.8 x 80 cm
Augustus John
Portrait of Vita Sackville-West (recto); Unfinished
Signed faintly 'J' (lower right)
Oil on canvas
58 x 50 cm
Augustus John
Portrait of Violet Trefusis (verso), 1919
Signed faintly 'J' (lower right)
Oil on canvas
58 x 50 cm
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