Earlier this month the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth announced the acquisition of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Penitent Mary Magdalene, a work that had been in private collections since its creation around 1625-26.
Artemisia Gentileschi, “Penitent Mary Magdalene,” 1625–26, oil on canvas, 42 3/4 x 36 3/4 inches. Kimbell Art Museum
According to the museum, the painting was originally acquired, and potentially commissioned, by Fernando Enríquez Afán de Ribera, the third Duke of Alcalá and Viceroy of Naples, during his time as Spanish ambassador in Rome (1625–26). Later, the work was on display in the Duke’s Seville residence, where it became well known and widely copied. Following the Duke’s death, the piece remained with his heirs until it disappeared from the public record. In 2001, it reappeared at an auction in France, where it was sold into a private collection. It remained there until it was purchased by Adam Williams Fine Art, Ltd., New York, on behalf of the Kimbell.
Gentileschi was a significant 17th-century Italian painter. She received art training in Rome, in her father’s studio. Orazio Gentileschi was influenced by his friend Caravaggio, whose style would come to greatly influence Artemisia. Penitent Mary Magdalene is one of many by Gentileschi that depicts the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. While some scholars point to Gentileschi’s focus on Mary Magdalene as a direct reference to the sexual abuse and judgment the artist endured, others have been hesitant to limit the understanding of her work to this one perspective.
In 2020, the Kimbell displayed Gentileschi’s Judith and Holofernes as part of its exhibition Flesh and Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum. Two years later, the painting returned to the museum alongside a work by Kehinde Wiley in SLAY!
In a press release, Eric Lee, Director of the Kimbell, remarked, “The Kimbell has long wished to acquire a work by Artemisia Gentileschi but until now never found the right painting for its collection by this major figure of Italian Baroque art. We are thrilled to present Artemisia Gentileschi’s dazzling Penitent Mary Magdalene to the public for the first time since it was painted in the 17th century. Although the composition is well known through copies in Spain and Mexico, nothing compares with seeing the newly rediscovered, emotive original in person, with its bold design, delicate brushwork, and subtle variations of light and shadow.”
Artemisia Gentileschi’s Penitent Mary Magdalene is currently on view at the Kimbell’s Louis I. Khan building, which houses the museum’s permanent collection. Learn more about the painting via the museum’s website.
