The Ladies of Art: Stories of Women in the 16th and 17th Centuries; SKIRA, 2022

Much has been written about 16th- and 17th-century Italian painting, but the contribution of the women artists of that period has often been overlooked: extraordinary figures with incredible and often obscure personal stories. The Ladies of Art sheds light on these artists and their lives, on the role they played in their day, and how some of them made a name for themselves in the great international courts: extraordinary women, who overcame social stereotypes and who have not yet received the attention they deserve. This book describes the art and lives of thirty-four women artists, starting from Artemisia Gentileschi – the first woman artist whose work constituted a watershed able to question certain gender prejudices – followed by other famous Italian women painters, such as Sofonisba Anguissola –the Lombard painter appreciated by Van Dyck –, Lavinia Fontana, Fede Galizia, Marietta Robusti, known as “la Tintoretta”, and many others. Admiring the over 130 works on the pages of this book we can appreciate the artistic greatness of these long-forgotten artists as well as the problematic nature of a historical period that did not favour women’s professional affirmation and recognition. Stories of women that offer a reading beyond stereotypes and capable of questioning behavioural models. Women who challenged prejudices, deconstructed restraining cliches, and who found their expression in painting.

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