23.07.2021
Gemäldegalerie
Three hundred years ago, on 23 July 1721, Anna Dorothea Therbusch was born in Berlin, who would go on to become one of the most important women artists of the 18th century. To mark the tercentenary of her birth, from 3 December 2021 the Gemäldegalerie is honouring this extraordinary artist and forerunner of women’s emancipation with the special exhibition Anna Dorothea Therbusch, featuring key works from the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin’s own collections.
Not just one, but two of the branches of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin boast works by this great local artist in their collections. Art-lovers who want to get a glimpse of Anna Dorothea Therbusch on the tercentenary of her birth should head to the Gemäldegalerie and the Alte Nationalgalerie.
One of her best-known works is her large-format self-portrait from around 1782, which is displayed at the Gemäldegalerie. In this work, Therbusch presents herself as a scholar and elegant figure of note, and as an approachable and intelligent interlocutor, demonstrating her interest in both objects and her conversation partner through the book in her hand and her frontal gaze.