If you were to ask the average person to list famous female artists, it would probably be a struggle to get to double digits. Ask them to name famous pre-20th-century female artists and that number would be even lower.
Female artists have long (long) been at a disadvantage. Undertrained and undereducated, overlooked and ultimately underrepresented, it’s been a lengthy and still-ongoing battle for recognition.
Now, at least, we can add one additional artist to that list of famous names – Michaelina Wautier, the 17th-century painter who is the subject of a new standalone show at the Royal Academy this spring.
Opening on 27 March 2026 at Burlington House, Michaelina Wautier shines a light on the prolific Flemish Baroque painter, described by the Royal Academy as ‘a 17th-century trailblazer rediscovered’.
Born in Belgium in 1604, Wautier came to painting later in life (it is believed not until the age of 39) and, unlike many of her contemporaries, was recognised and celebrated in her lifetime. It wasn’t until after her death in 1689 that her work fell into obscurity, with many of her paintings later credited to her brother, Charles (an all-too familiar story).
It was the endeavours of Belgian art historian Katlijne Van der Stighelen in the early 1990s to attribute a remarkable large-scale painting to its “forgotten woman artist” that gradually put Wautier’s name back in the spotlight. Through this, the breadth of her work and talent began to come together.
‘In an era when women artists were often confined to small-scale portraits or still-lifes, Wautier’s ambition and range were extraordinary,’ says Jonathan Fine, director general of Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum, co-organiser of the upcoming exhibition. ‘She painted large, complex history scenes – subjects from the Bible, mythology and everyday life – executed with a command of anatomy, composition and emotion that rivalled her male contemporaries.’
These works, alongside still-life paintings and portraits, will be on display until 21 June. This is an unmissable exhibition that attempts to right a long-overdue wrong and put Wautier back in her well-earned place – as one of Europe’s most important artists.
Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy, 27 March-21 June; The Jillian and Arthur M Sackler Wing of Galleries, Burlington House. Book tickets here.