Artemisia Gentileschi Exhibition at London's National Gallery Reveals Baroque Master Beyond Trauma Narrative

London's National Gallery presents the first major UK exhibition of Italian Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, running until 24 January 2021. Curated by Letizia Treves, the show features works spanning her career, including the 1610 painting 'Susanna and the Elders' created when Gentileschi was seventeen. The exhibition acknowledges her rape by artist Agostino Tassi at that age, documented in court records where she underwent torture to prove her testimony, but frames her story around artistic triumph rather than victimhood. Key paintings include 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' (1612–13) and 'Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy' (1623), alongside letters and portraits that reveal a complex artist. Gentileschi returned to the Susanna theme in 1622 and 1652, demonstrating ongoing reinterpretation of biblical scenes. The exhibition highlights her strategic self-promotion through unsolicited self-portraits sent to collectors, culminating in 'Self Portrait as the Allegory of Painting' (1638–39). Rather than presenting her primarily through the lens of trauma or vengeance, the show emphasizes her confident assertion of historical place despite obstacles faced as a woman in her time.