Ireland

National Gallery to show collection by Europe’s first female artist to achieve commercial success

Visitors will have rare opportunity to see more than 65 objects by Renaissance artist Lavinia Fontana for the first time

National Gallery of Ireland launches landmark exhibition celebrating works of first professional woman artist Lavinia Fontana Picture shows Dr Caroline Campbell, Director, National Gallery of Ireland; with ‘Judith with the Head of Holofernes, 1600’ (at right) at the launch of the landmark exhibition celebrating works of first professional woman artist Lavinia Fontana in The National Gallery of Ireland. Photograph: Naoise Culhane

Thu May 4 2023 - 19:39

A new display at the National Gallery of Ireland will offer visitors a rare opportunity to see more than 65 objects by Renaissance artist Lavinia Fontana.

A ground-breaking artist of her time, the late sixteenth-century Bolognese artist is widely considered to be the first woman artist in Europe to achieve commercial success.

The summer exhibition ‘Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker’ is the first exhibition of her work to be held at the National Gallery of Ireland and will open to the public in the Beit Wing on May 6th 2023 and run until August 27th 2023.

Her work, including the paintings ‘The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon’, ‘Judith with the Head of Holoferne’ and ‘Consecration to the Virgin’, will go on display alongside other objects such as 16th century pieces of decorative jewellery in the style that Fontana painted.

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