Exhibition Review – Musée Jacquemart-André, March 19 to August 3, 2025
At a time when art history’s great halls are being rightfully re-examined through a more inclusive lens, the Musée Jacquemart-André presents a triumphant exhibition: Artemisia – Heroine of Art. Running through the summer of 2025, this show brings together nearly 40 works by Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the Baroque era’s most incandescent—and most radical—painters. More than a retrospective, this is a reclamation.
A Painter, A Survivor, A Force
The daughter of Orazio Gentileschi, Artemisia was steeped in the visual revolution of Caravaggio from the start. Yet she forged her own path early, producing Susanna and the Elders at just 17, and never shying away from dramatic tension, psychological depth, or narrative intensity.
That she was assaulted by fellow painter Agostino Tassi, and subjected to torture to prove the truth of her testimony, is well documented. But what pulses through this exhibition is not victimhood—it is vision. Artemisia channeled personal trauma into mythic female figures with blood and brilliance, lending Judith, Cleopatra, and Esther not just beauty, but agency, wrath, and intellect.
Caravaggio’s Legacy, Recut
The exhibition positions Artemisia firmly within the chiaroscuro tradition—painting directly from life models, without preparatory sketches, and often working with theatrical lighting and bold, confrontational framing. Her brush was precise, her palette rich, her perspective intimate and psychological.
From the sensual golds of Danaë to the near-horror cinematic violence of Judith Slaying Holofernes, what emerges is an artist whose emotional reach and technical finesse rival, and at times eclipse, her male contemporaries. In her world, the gaze is no longer male—it is vengeful, feminine, and knowing.
Women, Seen by a Woman
Artemisia’s genius lies not just in her technique, but in her subject matter. Her heroines are not passive muses; they act, deceive, avenge, and rule. Jael and Sisera, Cleopatra, Esther before Ahasuerus—each painting subverts the viewer’s expectations of gender and narrative.
Even in her nudes, there is no voyeurism—only embodied strength, eroticism without objectification, sensuality paired with autonomy. Eros and Thanatos become equals on her canvas.
Why You Should Go
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A rare chance to see nearly 40 masterpieces, some rarely exhibited or brought together for the first time in Paris.
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A fresh narrative within 17th-century painting, anchored by one of the few women of her era to achieve success, status, and independence.
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A museum space that gives monumental canvases the silence and reverence they deserve.
This is not simply an art show—it’s a correction. A homage. And perhaps above all, an encounter with a woman whose work feels more urgent than ever.
Artemisia – Heroine of Art
📍 Musée Jacquemart-André, 158 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris
📅 March 19 – August 3, 2025
🔗 musee-jacquemart-andre.com
The Socialites say: Heroines don’t just hang on walls—they burn through them. Don’t miss this one.