Support for the Women Artists of Venice program has been received from:

The Diane Apostolos-Cappadona Trust in Memory of Her Mother, Stacia Apostolos; Anonymous in Memory of Bernice F. Davidson; Manitou Fund through Nora McNeely Hurley; Lafayette 148 New York; Donna Malin; the Boston Chapter of Save Venice; Richard & Jill Almeida; Sallymoon & Alan Bentz; Young Friends of Save Venice through the Camalotte Foundation; Estate of Cara De Silva; Irina Tolstoy & John G. Gans; Susan Angelastro in Memory of Her Sister, Amy Angelastro; Young Friends of Save Venice, Boston; Sarah Ilchman Hollinger in honor of Frederick Ilchman; and Anonymous.

Although women artists are documented throughout the history of Venetian art, we know relatively little about their lives and production, with a few exceptions. In recent decades a growing body of research in Bologna and Florence has resurrected previously unknown female artists and artisans, allowing their achievements in those cities to be more fully appreciated. The time is ripe for an investigation on a similar scale in Venice and its territories under the Republic.

Save Venice is spearheading an effort to recover the history of women artists and artisans who were born in or active in Venice in the early modern period. This program of art conservation, scientific and scholarly research, aims to coordinate the findings and foster dialogue through ambitious conferences, publications, and exhibitions. The Women Artists of Venice program, or WAV, builds upon the successes of systematic restoration treatments and publications sponsored by Save Venice in recent years, such as those dedicated to Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1465-1525), Jacopo Tintoretto (c. 1519- 1594), and other Venetian artists.

As part of Save Venice’s 50th Anniversary, Women Artists of Venice launched in 2021 with the conservation of paintings and pastels by  Giulia Lama (1681-1747), Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757), and Marianna Carlevarijs (1703-1750) held in Venetian churches and museum collections. The roster of treatments will be increased in future years as new works are discovered and new attributions made. A goal is to examine, record, and consider for restoration all pre-nineteenth century works by women artists to be found in Venice.

The art history track of WAV is led by Tracy E. Cooper, professor at Temple University and member of the board of Save Venice. The art conservation track of WAV is led by Melissa Conn, Director of the Venice Office of Save Venice. In consultation with the board of Save Venice and a wide network of specialists, they are directing a robust program to synthesize existing scholarship and enable new research, eventually disseminating the results to the public. As time goes on, we hope to expand into related realms of creativity by women in early modern Venice, potentially including patrons and collectors of art.

The special exhibition  Eye to Eye with Giulia Lama: A Woman Artist in 18th-Century Venice  featured five canvases recently restored thanks to Save Venice’s  Women Artists of Venice (WAV)  program.

From  February 8, 2024  through  June 8, 2024 , Giulia Lama’s  Four Evangelists  from the church of San Marziale were displayed at the  Pinacoteca Manfrediniana  and the  Virgin in Prayer  from the church of Santa Maria Assunta on Malamocco in the nearby Sacristy of the  Basilica della Salute . As these paintings are normally displayed up high in their respective churches, this exhibition allowed visitors the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view them up close following the recent transformative conservation treatments.

The exhibition was organized by Save Venice in collaboration with the Diocese Patriarchate of Venice, Pinacoteca Manfrediniana, Basilica della Salute, and  UniSVe .

For more information about Save Venice’s Women Artists of Venice sponsorship opportunities, contact kim@savevenice.org .