In the work of Artemisia Gentileschi, there’s a scent of anger, rage, and theatricality reminiscent of Caravaggio. Yet, although she was undoubtedly influenced by the work of the master of chiaroscuro and her father, Orazio Gentileschi, this Roman artist relentlessly sought her own technique, her own talent, distinguishing herself from the men around her. The result is unique canvases where the painter captures, with an unprecedented sensitivity, the psychology of her characters and the torments of the human soul.
A Major Artistic Destiny Founded on Tragedy
To truly understand the depth and breadth of Artemisia Gentileschi's talent, we must go back to the very beginning of her young career. At the age of 17, and just a year after signing her first painting, the young woman is violated by a painter who is a friend of her father. This man refused to marry her (which led to...
would have, at that time, legally been exonerated, followed by a trial of unfathomable violence, during which the artist will be subjected to torture to verify the truth of her claims. And even if she ultimately prevails, the sentence imposed on her tormentor will never truly be respected.Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Following this experience of limitless brutality, Artemisia Gentileschi rises from her ashes through painting, exorcising her thirst for revenge in dark, bloody and dramatic works, creating a collection of paintings of heartbreaking intensity, straddling the line between blood, forgiveness, and light. This is exemplified in the painting Judith Beheading Holofernes, one of her most famous, where she gives her features to Judith and those of her aggressor to Holofernes, in a quest for cathartic revenge.
A Already Feminist Work
However, more than just rage or violence, it is power and strength that resonate in Artemisia Gentileschi's works. By essentially declaring war on men, she continually stages female figures.
Victorious women, erotic heroines, fully in control of their powers. This is demonstrated by these many representations of nude women, a rarely explored subject for a female artist at the time. Far from the image of a modest and virtuous painter, she constantly strives to rise against the dictates of her era.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Suzanne and the Elders, 1610, Oil on canvas, 170 x 119 cm, Pommersfelden, Kunstsammlungen Graf von Schönborn © akg-images / MPortfolio / Electa
A ode to women that she sometimes pushes to her paroxysm, especially in her relationship with love and death, Eros and Thanatos. She doesn’t hesitate to give her heroines, often inspired by sacred history or mythology, a form of morbid eroticism. And while she often expresses a certain feminine superiority, she also stands out thanks to portraits often unknown to the public, yet praised by her contemporaries, who undoubtedly contributed to her success.
A multi-faceted artist
So, it’s all c...the facets of the personality and the art of the painter that the Jacquemart-André Museum wishes to showcase with this major retrospective. As you move through the rooms, the full spectrum of Artemisia Gentileschi's palette is revealed, thanks to a unique collection of works, some of which will be exhibited to the public for the very first time. It’s an opportunity to dive into the work, intimacy, and extraordinary history of one who was celebrated by Jérôme David as a “miracle in painting ”, and to enjoy the exceptional legacy she leaves behind for posterity. A bold, powerful, and moving exhibition, just like the woman who, fiercely independent, continually forged her own path with striking dazzling canvases.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Yaël and Sisera, 1620, Oil on canvas, 93 x 128 cm © Budapest, Museum of Fine Arts / Museum of Fine Arts Photograph Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 2025
Artemisia. Heroine of Art
Jacquemart André Museum
158, Boulevard Haussmann – 8th
From March 19 to August 3, 2025
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