Symposium on Josefa de Óbidos at at the National Gallery

Concluding the Gaudium Magnum Foundation’s London programme dedicated to Josefa de Óbidos and the Portuguese Baroque, this half-day symposium at the National Gallery brings together leading scholars and museum professionals to explore the artist’s life, work, and legacy.

Josefa de Óbidos (1630–1684) occupies a singular position in the history of Portuguese art. Renowned for the technical refinement, intimacy, and spiritual depth of her paintings, she remains one of the most celebrated figures of the Portuguese Baroque.

Bringing together leading international scholars and museum professionals, the symposium will explore Josefa’s artistic production, influence, and place within the wider Iberian Baroque tradition, while also addressing themes such as artistic exchange, female artistic practice in the seventeenth century, and Portugal’s global material culture.

Speakers include Susana Varela Flor (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa), Salvador Salort-Pons (Detroit Institute of Arts), Charlotte Chastel-Rousseau (Musée du Louvre), Carmen Ripollés (Portland State University), and Daniel Sobrino Ralston (National Gallery).

The symposium coincides with the National Gallery’s exhibition dedicated to Francisco de Zurbarán and offers an opportunity to consider the artistic connections between Spain and Portugal in the seventeenth century. The event also celebrates the publication of the first English-language monograph dedicated to Josefa de Óbidos, authored by Carmen Ripollés.

Discover the wider London programme

• Private Passion / Public Project (30 June, Burlington House)
• Josefa de Óbidos Exhibition in London (2 July, Embassy of Portugal)