Catharina van Hemessen, Painter of the First Known Artist-at-Work Self-Portrait, Gets Major Antwerp Show
At just 20 years old, Catharina van Hemessen created the first known self-portrait of an artist engaged in her craft in 1548, currently housed in Kunstmuseum Basel. The artwork depicts her in a black dress with red sleeves, looking at an incomplete painting. It bears a Latin inscription stating: “I, Catharina van Hemessen, painted myself.” This piece is included in the exhibition “Van Hemessen and Father” at Snijders and Rockoxhuis in Antwerp, running until January 31, 2027, showcasing over 30 pieces by her and her father, Jan van Hemessen. Following its Antwerp showing, a version centered on van Hemessen will be displayed in London from March 4 to May 30. Born in Antwerp in 1528, she wed musician Kerstiaen de Morijn in 1554 and relocated to Spain by 1556. Her death remains unrecorded, but she was referred to as “still living” in 1567.
Key facts
- Catharina van Hemessen painted her self-portrait at the easel in 1548, at age 20.
- The portrait is housed at the Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland.
- The exhibition “Van Hemessen and Father” is on view at the Snijders and Rockoxhuis in Antwerp through January 31, 2027.
- The show features more than 30 works by Catharina and her father, Jan van Hemessen.
- New research found evidence of Catharina’s brushwork in background figures of Jan’s paintings and a hidden kneeling woman beneath her Rest on the Flight Into Egypt.
- A London version focused solely on Catharina will run from March 4 to May 30.
- Of her 19 confirmed paintings, 14 are signed.
- Van Hemessen was born in Antwerp in 1528 and married musician Kerstiaen de Morijn in 1554.
Entities
Artists
- Catharina van Hemessen
- Jan van Hemessen
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Vincent van Gogh
- David Hockney
- Christina van Hemessen
- Kerstiaen de Morijn
- Mary of Hungary
- Hieronymus Bosch
- Lodovico Guicciardini
- Giorgio Vasari
- Susanna Horenbout
- Levina Teerlinc
- Jennifer Courts
- Ariane Mensger
- Karolien De Clippel
- Maarten Bassens
- Christine Seidel
- Meilan Solly
- Martin Bailey
- Valeriya Safronova
Institutions
- Kunstmuseum Basel
- Snijders and Rockoxhuis
- Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
- National Gallery
- Bowes Museum
- Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud
- Historisches Archiv mit Rheinischem Bildarchiv
- GrandPalaisRmn
- Agence Bulloz
- Smithsonian magazine
- The New York Times
- The Art Newspaper
Locations
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Basel
- Switzerland
- London
- England
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Luxembourg
- Low Countries
- ’s-Hertogenbosch