Sylvia Sleigh's First Major European Retrospective at Musée Rath
The Musée Rath in Geneva will host the first major European retrospective of British-born, New York-based painter Sylvia Sleigh (1916-2010), from June 4 to October 25, 2026. The exhibition, produced by the Musées d'art et d'histoire de Genève, highlights Sleigh's subversive practice of reversing the male gaze by painting male nudes—including friends, poets, critics, and gallerists—in poses traditionally reserved for female odalisques in works by Ingres and Velázquez. Long overshadowed by male contemporaries, Sleigh is celebrated for her fierce humor and feminist reclamation of art history.
Key facts
- Sylvia Sleigh (1916-2010) was a British painter who relocated to New York.
- The retrospective is the first major European exhibition dedicated to Sleigh.
- The exhibition runs from June 4 to October 25, 2026.
- It is produced by the Musées d'art et d'histoire de Genève.
- Sleigh painted male nudes in poses from Ingres and Velázquez.
- Her subjects included poets, critics, and gallerists.
- Sleigh's work reverses the traditional male gaze.
- She was long relegated to the shadow of major male artists.
Entities
Artists
- Sylvia Sleigh
Institutions
- Musée Rath
- Musées d'art et d'histoire de Genève
Locations
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- New York