Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza - Inicio

The exhibition Heroines looks at the depiction of women in active roles and at the gender identity crisis in western art. It covers a broad chronological span, from the Renaissance to the present day. In western art, women have all too often been reduced to two prevailing, complementary models; that of mother or that of the object of sexual desire. Other, parallel roles have, however, arisen, in which the female figure has liberated herself from a passive, submissive position in order to become an active subject. Such roles include hunting and athletics exercise, war, political power, and magic and religion, among others.