The Kimbell Art Museum announced on Friday that it has acquired a long-lost 17th-century painting depicting the Christian saint Mary Magdalene. For perhaps the first time since its creation, the work will be on public view, starting today in the Fort Worth museum’s Louis I. Kahn building.
The painting, called Penitent Mary Magdalene, was made by Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi around 1625. It was acquired by a Spanish nobleman in Rome who later displayed it in his Seville residence, where, according to 17th-century sources, it became famous and was widely copied, the museum said in a news release. It later disappeared from the public record before resurfacing at an auction in France in 2001.
“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,” Eric Lee, the museum’s director, said in a statement.
In a phone interview, Lee declined to disclose the price the museum paid, noting that “people then start looking at the painting in terms of dollars,” as opposed to focusing on the art.
The painting shows Mary Magdalene sitting in a wooden chair, with her eyes mostly closed and her head resting on her right hand, appearing to be deep in thought.
“You feel the weight of what is going through the Magdalene mind,” Lee said. “She’s aware of her former life of luxury and is now going to devote herself to spirituality.”
Scholars disagree on whether Mary Magdalene was wealthy, but she did become a follower of Jesus and may have provided him with financial support.
Before the discovery of this painting, a copy on display in Spain’s Seville Cathedral was thought to be the original.
Peter Van de Moortel, the Kimbell’s chief conservator, said he researched Gentileschi’s painting technique to confirm the painting’s authenticity and distinguish it from the several existing replicas.
“It’s basically a game of telephone,” Van de Moortel said. “Every time someone makes a copy, then a copy of a copy … it loses some of the details.”
The painting had dirt on it that needed to be cleaned off, but it otherwise arrived in good condition, he said. “The Mary Magdalene has benefited from benign neglect.”
Penitent Mary Magdalene joins the Kimbell’s collection of Italian baroque art, which includes Guercino’s Christ and the Woman of Samaria and Caravaggio’s The Cardsharps.
Adam Jasienski, an associate professor of art history at Southern Methodist University, called Gentileschi “one of the most important figures in renaissance and baroque painting.”
“She’s a virtuoso,” he continued. “She creates these dramatic, lush scenes. Oftentimes, they represent powerful women.”
Although Gentileschi was famous during her lifetime, she faded into obscurity after her death, Lee said. Recent scholarly literature, though, has cemented her as a “feminist heroine,” he added, particularly in light of her difficult personal history.
At the age of 17, Gentileschi was raped by the painter Agostino Tassi, a colleague of her father’s. During a trial against Tassi, who was ultimately convicted, Gentileschi had cords tightened around her fingers to ensure she was telling the truth.
“The trial itself was absolutely harrowing. She was tortured for her testimonies,” Lee said. “She showed so much strength throughout her life.”
Her biography may offer another perspective on the Magdalene painting.
“You can also see it as a self-portrait almost,” Lee said. “She’s contemplating the struggles that she has lived through.”
The Kimbell Art Museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays; noon-8 p.m. Fridays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, visit kimbellart.org.
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