Thanks to feminist scholars of the last century, Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) has gone from a footnote in art history textbooks to something of a household name. Her works now fetch sums in the millions. In 2020, London’s National Gallery staged a blockbuster solo exhibition of Gentileschi’s art—the museum’s first-ever show dedicated to a single woman artist.
Yet those eager to shine a spotlight on Gentileschi might do well to expand their scope. As a new exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) declares, Gentileschi was one of several women artists that forged successful careers in Italy leading up to the Enlightenment.
