A new exhibition in Paris, "Artemisia Gentileschi: Heroine of Art," at the Musée Jacquemart-André, presents around 40 paintings by the Italian Baroque painter, including four recently rediscovered works. Curator Patrizia Cavazzini deliberately shifts focus away from Gentileschi's rape and trial, instead highlighting her artistic development and achievements. Among the rediscovered pieces are "Virgin of the Annunciation" (c. 1609-10), one of her earliest known works, and a signed portrait of a Knight of the Order of Saint Stephen (c. 1619-20), previously misattributed to Justus Sustermans.
The exhibition matters because it challenges the long-standing narrative that reduces Gentileschi's art to a response to her trauma, offering a more nuanced view of her as a pioneering professional artist who defied 17th-century gender barriers. The rediscovered works provide fresh insights into her early style and technical skill, underscoring her significance as a historical figure who ran her own studio and secured commissions from powerful patrons across Europe. This reframing enriches the understanding of one of art history's most celebrated women painters.