Artemisia's Strong Women: Rescuing a Masterpiece
Hercules and Omphale (detail), about 1635–37, Artemisia Gentileschi. Oil on canvas. Sursock Palace Collections, Beirut, Lebanon
In 2020, a massive explosion in the port of Beirut devastated the city. Among the wreckage was a previously unknown painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, the most celebrated woman painter of 17th-century Italy. Depicting a scene from the Greek myth of Hercules, the severely damaged painting came to Getty for in-depth conservation treatment. In an installation focused on its repair, the restored painting is accompanied by four of Gentileschi’s other paintings, highlighting her special focus on donne forti (strong women) from the classical and biblical traditions.
This exhibition is presented in English and Spanish. Esta exhibición se presenta en inglés y en español.
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Selected Works
Self-Portrait as a Female Martyr
About 1613-14, Artemisia Gentileschi. Oil on panel. Private collection, United States. Photo: Bridgeman Images
Lucretia
About 1627, Artemisia Gentileschi. Oil on canvas. Getty Museum
Bathsheba and David
About 1635–37, Artemisia Gentileschi; Viviano Codazzi (building); Domenico Gargiulo (landscape). Oil on canvas. Columbus Museum of Art. Museum Purchase, Schumacher Fund
Susanna and the Elders
About 1635–37, Artemisia Gentileschi; Viviano Codazzi (building); Domenico Gargiulo (landscape). Oil on canvas. Collection of Dick Wolf. Photo: Alex Fox
Hercules and Omphale
Artemisia Gentileschi’s Hercules and Omphale nearly fully restored by Getty’s senior conservator of paintings Ulrich Birkmaier. Hercules and Omphale, about 1635–37, Artemisia Gentileschi. Oil on canvas. Sursock Palace Collections, Beirut, Lebanon
Hercules and Omphale
Getty Museum’s senior conservator of paintings Ulrich Birkmaier uses a Q-Tip and solvent to clean the surface of Hercules and Omphale by Artemisia Gentileschi, from Sursock Palace Collections
Hercules and Omphale
Restoration of Hercules and Omphale (Sursock Palace Collections). The condition of the painting before restoration began, showing damage from the 2020 explosion in Beirut.
Hercules and Omphale
Close up of the damage to Hercules and Omphale (Sursock Palace Collections) from the 2020 explosion in Beirut
Hercules and Omphale
Close up of the nearly full restored Hercules and Omphale by Artemisia Gentileschi, from Sursock Palace Collections
