Record for Artemisia, self-portrait sold for 5.7 million dollars

The self-portrait, recently on loan to the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, will also be in demand for the exhibition “Artemisia Gentileschi: The Triumph of Painting” scheduled for February 2028 at the Nivaagaard Collection in Denmark.

The news of the auction record coincides with the acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in Washington of another important work by Gentileschi, “Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy” (circa 1625). The painting depicts Mary Magdalene in a state of profound spiritual transformation and is considered close in subject to a lost Caravaggio painting from 1606. The work will be on public display starting at the end of February. In recent years, Artemisia Gentileschi has seen her fame grow significantly, thanks to the commitment of museums and historians to valorize long-neglected female artists. The National Gallery noted that the acquisition “significantly expands the museum’s collection of Italian Baroque painting, adding a seminal work by one of the most celebrated artists of the 17th century.” The acquisition was made possible thanks to a donation from Nina J. Cohen, in honor of her father Emanuel Cohen, and by the Patrons’ Permanent Fund.