Christina Chalon, Schetsen van goudweegster en kinderen (Sketches of woman weighing gold and children), 1771, paper, ink & watercolour, 15 cm x 18.4 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
The first year of the Reilluminating the Age of Enlightenment: Women Artists of the 18th Century research program, in collaboration with Rijksmuseum, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum (PAFA), Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), seeks to inscribe women back into art historical narratives highlighting their significant cultural and social contributions throughout the 18th century. Revisiting 18th-century art history reveals a significant number of active women artists who practiced a wide variety of artistic disciplines, and often organized networks that transcended borders and barriers. Each partnering museum was selected for its commitment to more inclusive research, curatorial practices, and acquisitions.
AWARE, in collaboration with the research program “Women of the Rijksmuseum”, is publishing texts that highlight 18th-century women artists of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and the context in which these women worked. PAFA’s contributions highlight the importance of women artists’ practices and work during the United States’ colonial and revolutionary eras, as well as during the country’s early history. In collaboration with the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Art Gallery of Ontario on the occasion of the Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800 exhibition, AWARE publishes biographical texts and research articles that reflect the multifaceted and often overlooked ways in which women contributed to the visual arts in Europe, creating works ranging from devotional sculptures and embroidered objects to portraits and academic history paintings.
This programme was made possible thanks to the support of Tavolozza Foundation and Anne-Françoise Gavanon.
Scientific researcher, “Women of the Rijksmuseum”
Curator of 18th-century Dutch painting and painting frames at the Rijksmuseum
Chair, “Women of the Rijksmuseum", Senior Curator of Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Paintings at the Rijksmuseum
Scientific researcher, “Women of the Rijksmuseum”
Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art, PAFA
Senior curator and Department Head of the Department of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art
Research specialist on early modern women artists and collectors
Curator & R. Fraser Elliott Chair, Prints and Drawings, Art Gallery of Ontario