Episode 216 – Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker with Dr Aoife Brady

Guest Bio

Aoife Brady is Curator of Italian and Spanish art at the National Gallery of Ireland. A specialist in Bolognese painting, Brady holds a doctorate in the History of Art from Trinity College Dublin, and has held curatorial roles with The National Gallery, London, and the Paintings Department of The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Brady sits on the Old Masters vetting committee for TEFAF Maastricht. Her primary research interests relate to the study of painting techniques, materials, and artists’ studio practices, with focus on seventeenth-century Italy and Spain. Brady’s curatorial projects have included an exhibition of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s series of paintings depicting the parable of the Prodigal Son, in collaboration with the Museo del Prado, Madrid, and the Meadows Museum, Dallas, and an in-focus display of sixteenth-century Florentine paintings representing the Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist. More recently, she has curated a large-scale monographic exhibition examining the life and work of Lavinia Fontana (National Gallery of Ireland, 6 May–27 August 2023).

Exhibition website:

https://www.nationalgallery.ie/art-and-artists/exhibitions/lavinia-fontana-trailblazer-rule-breaker

Dr Brady’s Takeaway

Museo del Tessuto

Natalie Grueninger speaks with Dr Aoife Brady about Lavinia Fontana.

Tune in to hear Natalie and Aoife discuss:

– A day in the life of a Curator of Italian and Spanish art

– Lavinia Fontana family and background

– Fontana’s patrons and clients

– Lavinia’s family life

– What enabled her to become the first woman artist in Western Europe to gain commercial success

– Fontana’s techniques and working practices

– Her most highly regarded works

– The National Gallery of Ireland’s exhibition – ‘Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker’

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