March 6 – April 6, 2025
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Turi Studios, Foro Buonaparte 70, Milan

By definition, anyone who paints is a painter, whether professional or amateur. When a woman paints, she becomes a painter. This exhibition, “PAINTERS”, celebrates and enhances one of the most difficult roles for a woman to conquer, a complex and often hindered path throughout history.

Being a painter, in fact, is not just a profession, but one of the most fought-over rights that a woman, as such, feels the need to defend for herself and to affirm her nature and identity. A faculty conquered through centuries of battles for artistic and social recognition.

A look at the past

To understand the significance of this conquest, we must go back in time and mention Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), recognized as the first professional female artist in the history of Western art.

Her famous “Self-Portrait in the Studio” (1579, painted on copper) portrays her in her work environment, intent on copying from life two small sculptures, archaeological finds of which she was a collector. Her posture, elegant clothes and precious accessories testify not only to her humanistic culture, but also to her affirmation as an independent professional.

Lavinia Fontana opened a workshop in Bologna and later moved to Rome, where her husband Giovanni Paolo Zappi, a painter of modest talent, became her agent. Despite eleven pregnancies, she managed to produce a large quantity of works: portraits of noblewomen and diplomats, altarpieces and battle scenes. She is considered the Renaissance painter with the most surviving works.

Throughout history, many other women attempted to establish themselves as artists, often within convents or noble courts. However, until the twentieth century, they were generally self-taught and confined to genres considered “minor”, such as landscapes and still lifes, as painting for them had to remain a simple pastime.

The twentieth century and the revolution of women artists
With the twentieth century, the panorama changed radically. Women began to gain greater visibility and challenge the art system dominated by men. Among the great protagonists of modern and contemporary art, names such as Leonora Carrington, Meret Oppenheim, Sonia Delaunay and Suzanne Valadon stand out, artists who broke the mold and influenced generations of creatives.

Painters today: an exhibition on contemporaneity
Today, being a painter means mastering a complex and constantly evolving artistic language. The artists invited to this exhibition are PAINTERS

at 360°, standing out for their academic training, stylistic research and coherence in their artistic path. They use painting as their primary means of expression, sometimes incorporating other media or experimenting with new techniques, but always remaining faithful to this practice.

Through their works, we explore not only their aesthetics, but also the themes they address, the personal experiences that filter through their paintings, and the connection between art and everyday life. The aim is to go beyond a superficial vision of the work of art, offering the public tools to interpret its deeper meaning.

Participating artists:
Tamara Ferioli
Serena Vestrucci
Marta Sesana
Loredana Galante
Katia Dilella
Francesca Galliani
Elisa Rossi
Oriella Montin

EXHIBITION DETAILS
Title: Painters – Group exhibition
Location: Studio Turi, Foro Buonaparte 70, Milan
Opening: Thursday 6 March 2025 – 6:00 pm
Duration: 6 March – 6 April 2025
Opening hours: Monday – Friday: 3:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Saturday: 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Sunday by appointment
Guided tours and small groups: by appointment, contact Oriella at 3496608821