Michaelina Wautier – A Baroque Master Reclaimed
30 Sep 2025 - 22 Feb 2026
In autumn 2025, the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna will dedicate its major exhibition to a long-overlooked yet brilliant artist: Michaelina Wautier (1604–1689). In collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, London, the museum presents nearly her entire surviving oeuvre – placing it in dialogue with contemporaries such as Peter Paul Rubens and Anthonis van Dyck.
Wautier astonished her peers with subjects rarely tackled by women at the time: monumental history paintings, religious themes and complex allegories – all executed with power, detail and striking artistic confidence.
She portrayed both men and women with psychological depth and precision, often challenging the artistic conventions of her era.
A rare opportunity in Vienna to rediscover this baroque painter on equal footing with the masters – and to rethink art history from a fresh perspective.
Exhibition dates: 30 September 2025 to 22 February 2026
Venue: Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
