Between 1550 and 1650, several women in Italy and Northern Europe managed to establish themselves as successful artists. Their achievements were the result of deliberate strategies that enabled them to gain access to a profession dominated by men.
The book accompanies the exhibition Becoming Painters and explores how these women worked as artists. It examines the various forms of artistic education available to them, from training in the family workshop, often under the guidance of their fathers, to self-directed learning, guild-based education in Northern Europe, convent education and, more rarely, formal academic training.
The book features works by Sofonisba Anguissola, Artemisia Gentileschi, Lavinia Fontana, Clara Peeters and Judith Leyster, among others. It offers a rare opportunity to explore a lesser-known chapter of art history, a period in which female artists created significant works in a field dominated by men.
The project is a collaboration between the Galleria Borghese in Rome and the National Museum. The book accompanies the exhibition Becoming Painters at the National Museum in Oslo, from 8 October 2026 to 7 February 2027.
- Language: English
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 255
- Size: 32,5 x 22,5 cm
- Author: Fabrizio Carinci, Ettore Giovanati, Patrizia Cavazzini, Cynthia Osieck, Simen K. Nielsen og Kristian Wikborg Wiese (red.).
- Publication Year: 2026
- Publisher: The National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet)
- ISBN: 9788281541771
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