Special Gallery price £30.00 - RRP:£35

Accompanies the exhibition at the National Gallery, London 3 October 2020 – 24 January 2021.

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1654 or later) is the most celebrated woman artist of the baroque period in Italy. Her career spanned more than 40 years, as she moved between Rome, where she was raised and trained by her father, Orazio Gentileschi, to Florence, where she gained artistic independence and became the first female member of the city’s academy of artists, and to Venice, London and Naples. Often featuring heroic female subjects, her paintings were predominantly intended for private clients. Today they are recognised for their dramatic power and originality, showing Artemisia to be one of the most compelling storytellers of her time. This beautiful book accompanies a monographic exhibition at the National Gallery, the first dedicated to Artemisia in the UK. It includes an essay on her life and career; a discussion of her personal and artistic relationship with her father; a summary of critical writings and an overview of the wide range of approaches to Artemisia’s work since her rediscovery by feminist art historians more than 50 years ago; a more personal insight into Artemisia through her letters; a discussion of the artist’s self-representation in her work; and an essay dedicated to her painting technique.

Reviews

‘This high-quality catalogue can still lead you into the darkly histrionic domain of the radical female painter. This catalogue not only presents us with pictures of her paintings…, but also with images of works by her art-historical influencers as well as close-ups and x–radiographic revelations.’ - Best Art Books of the Year 2020 and Times Choice. The Times.

‘This covetable volume contains a catalogue of her pictures and six exemplary, jargon-free essays casting light on how she became the most celebrated woman artist of the age.’ - Best art books of the year 2020. The Times Literary Supplement.