Artemisia Gentileschi: Courage and Passion

From November 16, 2023, to April 1, 2024, approximately 50 masterpieces of one of the most beloved artists of all time will be exhibited at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa.

“You, Woman, in whom heaven shares virtue, with the color of poison forgotten, take the brush, for you have the winged God” – so begins the sonnet that Girolamo Fontanella, a Baroque poet, dedicated to Artemisia Gentileschi. The great artist is the subject of a unique and rich exhibition, “Artemisia Gentileschi, Courage and Passion.” It will also be the most important exhibition among those organised at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa between 2023 and 2024.

The exhibition opens on November 16th and tells the story of a woman with a passionate, tragic life, full of twists and extraordinary successes. She is an important example of tenacity and genius, with a life far from easy, marked by the premature loss of her mother, a social context that did not allow her to establish herself as a painter, and the traumatic rape she suffered by the Italian painter, Agostino Tassi.

Artemisia is a unique artist who managed to represent her controversial relationships with men, starting with her intense and troubled one with her father, Orazio Gentileschi – her teacher, a great painter of the time, and a friend of Caravaggio. This relationship transformed into rivalry and then reconciliation in her later years. Orazio and Artemisia are portrayed through close comparisons of paintings with the same subjects, helping us understand how the young woman managed to transcend her father’s style. The two artists are also put in dialogue with Caravaggio’s style.

Amidst fascinating family events, revolutionary artistic solutions, dramatic images, and female triumphs, the exhibition, curated by Costantino D’Orazio with the collaboration of Anna Orlando, offers the opportunity to see over 50 masterpieces from across Europe, allowing for a precise portrait of the complex personality of one of the world’s most celebrated artists. The exhibition is promoted and organised by Arthemisia with Palazzo Ducale Foundation for Culture, the Municipality of Genoa, and the Liguria Region.

For more information, visit the website: (https://palazzoducale.genova.it/)