Catharina van Hemessen was the only known 16th century Flemish woman painter to have signed her works, leaving a remarkable record of her ambition and artistic skill.

Presenting fourteen of the pioneering artist’s paintings in partnership with the National Gallery and Museum Snijders&Rockoxhuis in Antwerp, this exhibition places her career within the artistic and commercial world of sixteenth-century Antwerp.

Brought to life by works from the museum’s collection, the exhibition will explore the artist’s life against the backdrop of Antwerp and the northern European Renaissance. It also offers a glimpse beneath the surface of her paintings through technical analysis and research into pigments, paint layers and van Hemessen’s signature.