Abstract
This paper analyses the 20th - 21st-century exhibition history of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-ca. 1656) as a case study highlighting the key role played by international loan exhibitions in conferring a certain type of canonical art historical status on a select group of Old Master artists. Gentileschi constitutes a significant addition to this charmed circle of ‘blockbuster worthy’ individuals, since she attained a significant degree of international fame both during her own lifetime and beyond. Modern exhibitions dedicated to her oeuvre thus provide a much-needed counter narrative to the standard Old Master exhibition, which generally highlights the unique contributions of leading male artists such as Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rubens and so on. Yet, the paper argues, Gentileschi has been consistently presented in these exhibitions in ways that run the risk of reducing her artistic significance down to either her gender or the backstory of trauma and sexual violence that has tended to dominate standard accounts of her biography and early career. A recent exhibition held in Genoa (Palazzo Ducale, November 16, 2023 to April 1, 2024) might nonetheless suggest a growing recognition of the need to develop alternative modes of communicating her significance to future audiences. The groundswell of negative response to the so-called ‘rape room’ that formed a central component of this exhibition’s gallery sequencing suggests the increasing influence of new perspectives on Gentileschi that have been gaining momentum following the #MeToo and associated cultural movements of the past decade.
Presenters
Christopher R. MarshallAssociate Professor of Art History, Curatorship and Museum Studies, Faculty of Arts, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Gender, Museum Politics, Exhibitions, Curatorship, Exhibition Design
