In the 16th century, the world of art belonged to men, but the fairer sex also left its bright mark in history. At some point, their names were on everyone’s lips, and admiring male artists accepted them to the Academies of Art, breaking their own rules. How did these ladies manage to become famous artists?

Artemisia Gentileschi  (1593-1652) is one of the very few female Italian Baroque painters known today. This year her masterpiece "Lucretia", never before publicly exhibited, is to be sold for the first time in Vienna. Who was she and why interest in Gentileschi's often violent depictions of strong female protagonists from classical mythology has risen sharply in the last years? ARTHIVE has the…

A previously unknown self-portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Artemisia Gentileschi sold at Drouot auction in Paris on 19 December for an artist record €2,360,600.

Passions often run high in the world of art. Many artists are temperamental and emotional, and various fans and critics closely watch their every move, almost leaving them no privacy. Sexual relationships are subject of heated discussions, any model turns into a mistress in the eyes of laymen, and even an ordinary portrait can become a reason for scandal.