This afternoon I watched a wonderful talk from Florence’s Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, founded by Giorgio Vasari in 1563 as a guild for Florence’s artists. Membership was only extended to established artists.
The talk was a conversation between Linda Falcone, the director of Advancing Women Artists, and Accademia president Cristina Acidini. AWA’s mission is “identifying, restoring and exhibiting artwork by women in Florence’s museum storages.” According the the organization, “compelling artistic treasures continue to be a silent, undiscovered part of the city’s creative heritage.”
The Accademia admitted its first woman member – Artemisia Gentileschi – 1615. While Gentileschi is now well known – she was recently the subject of a solo show at the National Gallery in London – today I learned for the first time about another female member of the Accademia, Angelica Kauffman.
Kauffman was born in Switzerland and her talent was obvious from a young age. A master of the Neoclassical style, she was admitted to the Accademia in 1762, age 21.
Kauffman subsequently moved to London, where she and Mary Moser were founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.
Sheer Ghosts 