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Lavinia Fontana: Pioneering Painter of the 16th Century

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Italian painter Lavinia Fontana was the first female artist to achieve professional success outside a convent or royal court, the first woman to be accepted into the prestigious Accademia di San Luca in Rome, the first woman to paint large-scale public altarpieces and female nudes, and the first documented female artist to have her own workshop. Recently a painting on copper and a preparatory drawing by Fontana entered the Getty Museum’s collection. A specialist of Bolognese painting, Aoife Brady discusses the artist’s remarkable career and creative process.

The two recently acquired works by Lavinia Fontana will be on view at the Getty Center in the West Pavilion (gallery W104) from January 26 to March 26.

Dr. Aoife Brady is the curator of Italian and Spanish art at the National Gallery of Ireland. Her primary research interests relate to the study of painting techniques, materials, and artists’ studio practices, with focus on 17th-century Italy and Spain. Brady’s recent curatorial projects include an exhibition of work by Joaquín Sorolla entitled Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light in partnership with the National Gallery, London, and an in-focus exhibition of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s series of paintings depicting the parable of the Prodigal Son, a collaboration with the Museo del Prado, Madrid, and the Meadows Museum, Dallas. Brady is currently working on a large-scale exhibition examining the work of Lavinia Fontana, scheduled to open in Dublin in May of 2023.