The Faces of Women: Art, Civic Memory and Citizenship at Palazzo Madama

The Faces of Women: art, civic memory and citizenship

Where: Palazzo Madama, Rome. When: 6 March – 7 June 2026.

This exhibition stages a conversation between art history and civic history: thirteen masterpieces by female painters from the 15th to the 19th century are shown alongside documentary materials and biographies of the twenty-one women elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. The aim is to make visible artists and political actors whose contributions have been overlooked, highlighting how visual representation and political engagement together shape citizenship.

Highlights

The display emphasizes portraiture and self-portraiture as means of professional assertion and identity formation. Notable artists featured include:

• Sofonisba Anguissola
• Lavinia Fontana
• Artemisia Gentileschi
• Rosalba Carriera
• Plautilla Nelli

Alongside the paintings, panels and archival documents trace the contributions of the Women Constituent Assembly members to the drafting of Italy's Constitution and the expansion of civil rights after World War II.

Why visit

The exhibition functions as both an aesthetic itinerary and a symbolic project. Displaying these works in Palazzo Madama, the seat of the Senate, reinforces the link between artistic representation and women's presence in public life. The show offers accessible interpretative keys to understand how portraiture operated as a form of public legitimization for women artists.

Practical information

• Location: Palazzo Madama, Piazza Madama, Rome
• Dates: 6 March – 7 June 2026
• Type: thematic and documentary exhibition

The exhibition is recommended for visitors interested in art history, gender studies and modern Italian political history. It proposes a reading of the past that connects visual culture and civic memory.