Lavinia Fontana, Judith with the Head of Holofernes, 1600. Museo Davia Bargellini, Bologna, Italy.
Join exhibition curator Dr Aoife Brady to discover the National Gallery of Ireland’s exciting summer exhibition Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker.
A ground-breaking artist of her time, late 16th-century Bolognese artist Lavinia Fontana is widely considered to be the first female artist to achieve professional success beyond the confines of a court or a convent. Fontana was the first woman to manage her own workshop, and the first woman to paint public altarpieces and female nudes. She maintained an active career, painting for many illustrious patrons, while also taking on the role of wife and mother.
Exploring Fontana’s extraordinary life through her paintings and drawings, the exhibition offers insight into the cultural climate that enabled her to flourish as a female artist of the period. This is the first monographic exhibition to examine Fontana’s work in over two decades, and the first to focus on her portraits; bringing together a selection of her most highly regarded works from international public and private collections.
Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker is at the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, from 6 May to 27 August 2023.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.