Dianella o Annella Di Rosa (Diana Di Rosa), Santa Cecilia e un angelo, 1630-1640 circa. Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund©Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
"Donne nella Napoli spagnola. Un altro Seicento" exhibition in Naples
The Gallerie d'Italia - NApoli present "Donne nella Napoli spagnola. Un altro Seicento” from 20 November 2025 to 22 March 2026.
In the wake of the success of "Artemisia Gentileschi in Naples" (2022-2023) the Gallerie d’Italia propose the first event focused entirely on the role of women in 17th century arts in Naples, a subject never before systematically analysed despite growing interest in gender-related issues. The high level of scientific and organisational commitment that characterises this event aims to lay a solid foundation for future research in a field of study that is still somewhat fragmented.
The exhibition begins with female artists from outside the city, such as Lavinia Fontana and Fede Galizia. Their works, created for local patrons at the beginning of the century, bear striking similarities to the innovations introduced by Caravaggio and offer evidence of the intricate commercial and collecting networks that took place in the city.
Key moments include the arrival of Artemisia – represented here with important paintings never before exhibited in Italy – and Giovanna Garzoni's brief stay in the city. Considerable space is also devoted to Diana Di Rosa from Naples, known as “Annella di Massimo”, Gentileschi's real alter ego. A thematic section is dedicated to the Neapolitan “divas”: internationally acclaimed singer Adriana Basile and Giulia De Caro, whose journey from prostitute to theatre impresario is emblematic of redemption and emancipation. The exhibition also highlights lesser-known figures, such as painter and miniaturist Teresa Del Po and wax sculptor Caterina De Iulianis, the latter presented alongside the great Andalusian Baroque sculptor Luisa Roldán.
The exhibition boasts numerous exceptional loans, including Velázquez's portrait of Maria of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Ribera's intense portrait of Maddalena Ventura, the “bearded woman”, female figures who left an indelible mark on 17th-century Spanish Naples.
The exhibition is curated by Antonio Ernesto Denunzio, Raffaella Morselli, Giuseppe Porzio and Eve Straussman-Pflanzer, with the institutional sponsorship of the Spanish Embassy in Italy and the City of Naples.
Under the Patronage of
Under the moral Patronage of
