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| National Museum of Women in the Arts Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Groundbreaking Exhibition: Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque March 16, 2007–July 15, 2007 |
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WASHINGTON—Ask someone to name a painter from the Italian Renaissance or Baroque periods and you will probably hear answers like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo or Caravaggio—all of whom are men. Thanks to a groundbreaking exhibition, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) intends to broaden the list of “known” artists who were professionally and commercially successful during these same periods—they just happen to be women. Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque, March 16 through July 15, 2007, is the first comprehensive survey of paintings, prints and drawings by women artists of early modern Italy, the period roughly encompassing the 16th and 17th centuries. “It will be an eye opener,” says Dr. Judy Larson, NMWA director. “Women really came into their own during the Renaissance and Baroque periods,” notes Larson. “For the first time in history, you can attach the names of women to specific works of art. And, for the first time, women had the freedom to compete successfully with men in a marketplace as demanding as any in history.” Included in the exhibition are more than 60 paintings and works on paper by 15 major women artists including Artemisia Gentileschi, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Elisabetta Sirani, and Fede Galizia. Beyond the marquee names and dazzling art, though, lies a more complicated story, according to NMWA senior curator and Italian Women Artists co-curator, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy. “Women artists from this period have never been presented together nor framed within their social and historical context,” says Pomeroy. To remedy this, Pomeroy and NMWA enlisted a team of scholars from around the world to help tell this story for the first time. Pomeroy and co-curator Dr. Vera Fortunati, professor of art history, University of Bologna, employed an interdisciplinary approach to explore the major challenges facing women artists of the time: the economics of art production—who commissioned and paid for art—and the cultural context of women working in Italy and Europe—how did women artists overcome long-held societal roles and cultural biases to succeed as artists. The exhibition is organized around five major themes: “Giorgio Vasari and the Renaissance Virtuosa”; “Education and Training”; “Marketing Strategies”; “Patrons and Power”; and “Public Identity”. Each section builds on the previous one, taking visitors from the beginnings of an artistic career to the accomplishments of the mature artist, and ending with commentary on the enduring legacies of Italian women artists of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Along the way, Pomeroy and her collaborators slay a few persistent myths and recognize a few harsh truths common to all artists, male and female alike. “Our overarching objective is to eliminate the idea that women artists disappeared from view and the art historical record because of the quality of their work,” says Pomeroy. “And, secondly, we use these works to demonstrate that women artists of the period faced challenges and obstacles all artists then and now face, namely: studying with good teachers; understanding the art market; finding steady sources of patronage; and promoting themselves through their art and the development of their public personae.” Highlights of the exhibition include: Sofonisba Anguissola’s The Chess Game, mentioned by Vasari in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects; Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes; Lavinia Fontana’s Parnassus, identified in historical texts but seldom exhibited; Elisabetta Sirani’s Portia Wounding Her Thigh; and Fede Galizia’s Cherries in a Silver Compote. “We couldn’t have picked a more appropriate exhibition to present during our 20th anniversary year,” notes NMWA Director Judy Larson. “While women have been creating art since the earliest times, Italian Women Artists celebrates the emergence of the professional woman artist. These women achieved commercial success and critical acclaim despite a culture and society that thought women were incapable of doing so.” Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in collaboration with sVo Art, Versailles, France, under the auspices of Claudio Strinati, Soprintendente del Polo Museale Romano in Rome, Italy. Admission to the Museum during the run of Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque, March 16 through July 15, 2007, will be $10 for adults, $8 for students and visitors 60 and over, and free for youth 18 and under and NMWA members. Free Community Days for the exhibition are the first Sunday of each month.PODCAST Available though the NMWA Web site (www.nmwa.org), museum visitors can learn more about the lives of these women artists. In this interview, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, NMWA senior co-curator, discusses the art, the artists, and the historical lessons of Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque. Download the interview to any MP# device, or listen on-line. CATALOGUE A full-color, illustrated catalogue is available for purchase with a foreword by Dr. Claudio Strinati, head of Roman Museums; an introduction by Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, exhibition co-curator and NMWA senior curator; as well as essays by Dr. Caroline P. Murphy, assistant professor of art history, University of California, Riverside; Dr. Sheila ffolliott, professor of art history, George Mason University and NMWA board member; Dr. Ann Sutherland Harris, professor of the history of art and architecture, The University of Pittsburgh; Carole Collier Frick, associate professor, department of historical studies, Southern Illinois University; Alexandra Lapierre, renowned French author; and Dr. Vera Fortunati, professor of art history, University of Bologna. The soft cover catalogue retails for $42 and includes color plates and biographies of the artists. EXHIBITION SPONSORSHIP Thank you to special friends for their lead sponsorship of this exhibition. In addition, generous support is provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., and Jane Fortune. Image on front page: Artemisia Gentileschi Judith Slaying Holofernes, c.1612-13 Oil on canvas 62 1/2 x 49 3/8 in. Museo di Capodimonte, Naples © akg-images NMWA at 20 The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), founded in 1981 and opened in April 1987, is the only museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing, and literary arts. The museum contains works by more than 900 artists in its permanent collection, maintains a Library and Research Center, and conducts multidisciplinary programs for diverse audiences. In the past 20 years since its’ opening the museum has presented more than 200 exhibitions, expanded its permanent collection to include over 3,600 pieces, and has a membership ranking it in the top ten museums nationally with more than 30,000 members. In celebration of the museum’s 20th anniversary three ground-breaking exhibits will be presented: The Book as Art: Twenty Years of Artists ’ Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque, and WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, 1965-1980. The museum will also inaugurate CLARA: Database of Women Artists, a Web-accessible, authoritative resource for students, scholars, and the general public. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. For information, call 202-783-5000 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.nmwa.org. |
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|  For images, interviews, and more information, contact Michelle Cragle or media@nmwa.org or call 202.783.7373 |