Josefa de Óbidos and the Portuguese Baroque: Selected Works from the Gaudium Magnum Collection

On 2 July 2026, the Embassy of Portugal in London hosted Josefa de Óbidos and the Portuguese Baroque: Selected Works from the Gaudium Magnum Collection, presented as part of the Gaudium Magnum Foundation’s London programme.

The exhibition brought together three paintings by Josefa de Óbidos alongside a work by her father, Balthazar Gomes Figueira. Rarely exhibited outside Portugal, these paintings offered visitors a unique opportunity to experience them at close range while exploring the artistic environment in which Josefa developed her distinctive visual language and established herself as one of the leading painters of the Portuguese Baroque.

Throughout the day, visitors participated in a series of guided visits introducing the exhibition and the Foundation’s research on the artists and the works. These visits prompted lively discussions on Josefa de Óbidos, Balthazar Gomes Figueira, and the wider artistic context of seventeenth-century Portugal, reflecting the growing international interest in Portuguese Baroque painting.

The exhibition also provided an opportunity to preview many of the themes explored in greater depth during the international symposium Josefa de Óbidos: Painter of the Portuguese Baroque, supported by the Foundation and held at the National Gallery the following day. Visitors were therefore able to encounter the paintings before hearing specialists from leading museums and universities discuss their historical, artistic, and cultural significance.

Another highlight of the day was the presentation by Dr Carmen Ripollés of her recently published monograph Josefa de Óbidos (Lund Humphries), during a small gathering at the Embassy. As the first scholarly monograph on the artist to be published in English, the volume represents a significant milestone in the international study of Josefa de Óbidos and marks an important step in bringing both the artist and Portuguese Baroque painting to a broader international audience.

This event formed part of the Foundation’s London programme dedicated to Josefa de Óbidos and the Portuguese Baroque, which also included:

• Private Passion / Public Project: Opening the London Programme 
• Josefa de Óbidos: Painter of the Portuguese Baroque