Solo show
Upcoming
Catharina van Hemessen: Signature Works
4 Mar 2027 — 30 May 2027 at The National Gallery
· London
Meet the Renaissance artist who painted herself into history.
Catharina van Hemessen (1528–1587) was a trailblazing Flemish painter whose self-portrait at the easel — completed in 1548 — stands as one of the earliest known self-portraits by a female artist in Western art. This exhibition brings together her signature works, offering a rare opportunity to explore the full range of her talent: intimate devotional panels, finely observed portraits of Antwerp's elite, and the groundbreaking self-image that secured her place in art history.
Working in the shadow of her father, the celebrated painter Jan Sanders van Hemessen, Catharina forged an independent artistic identity marked by psychological depth, precise draughtsmanship, and a quiet confidence that speaks across the centuries. Her career took her from the workshops of Antwerp to the court of Mary of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands, who valued her work so highly that she brought the artist with her into retirement in Spain.
"Signature Works" invites visitors to look closely at the details — the delicate rendering of fabric, the directness of her sitters' gazes, and the bold act of a young woman placing herself, brush in hand, at the centre of her own canvas.
Catharina van Hemessen (1528–1587) was a trailblazing Flemish painter whose self-portrait at the easel — completed in 1548 — stands as one of the earliest known self-portraits by a female artist in Western art. This exhibition brings together her signature works, offering a rare opportunity to explore the full range of her talent: intimate devotional panels, finely observed portraits of Antwerp's elite, and the groundbreaking self-image that secured her place in art history.
Working in the shadow of her father, the celebrated painter Jan Sanders van Hemessen, Catharina forged an independent artistic identity marked by psychological depth, precise draughtsmanship, and a quiet confidence that speaks across the centuries. Her career took her from the workshops of Antwerp to the court of Mary of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands, who valued her work so highly that she brought the artist with her into retirement in Spain.
"Signature Works" invites visitors to look closely at the details — the delicate rendering of fabric, the directness of her sitters' gazes, and the bold act of a young woman placing herself, brush in hand, at the centre of her own canvas.
About the artist
Catharina van Hemessen
1528–1600 · Renaissance
Caterina or Catharina van Hemessen was a Flemish Renaissance painter. She is the earliest female Flemish painter for whom there is verifiable extant work. She is mainly known for a series of small-scale portraits of women completed between the late 1540s and early 1550s as well as a few religious…
About the artist →About the venue
The National Gallery
· London
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current director of the National Gallery is Gabriele Finaldi.
