The online lecture on Italian art takes place via ZOOM live stream on 4 November 2026. It explores the emergence of women’s art in Italy in connection with the Renaissance and the changing status of the artist. The lecture will discuss Van Dyck’s special journey to Palermo to visit Sofonisba Anguissola’s workshop, Lavinia Fontana becoming the first woman admitted to the Academy of Saint Luke in Rome, and Artemisia Gentileschi’s invitation to the Medici court. Gentileschi’s paintings were valued almost as highly as those of her male contemporaries.