New exhibition devoted to pioneering women

An exhibition of work from the pioneering female painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, who trained at St John’s Wood Art School, will open at the Royal Academy in November. Becker was born in Dresden in 1876 into a large middle-class family and engaged in her first intensive art training in St John’s Wood when she came to London for an extended stay in 1892. She later took more art courses in Bremen and Berlin. Making Modernism is the first major UK exhibition devoted to pioneering women working in Germany in the early 1900s: Paula Modersohn-Becker, Kӓthe Kollwitz, Gabriele Münter and Marianne Werefkin. Celebrated in their native homelands, the exhibition reframes subjects such as self-portraiture, still-life, the female body, depictions of childhood, landscapes and urban scenes through the experiences and perspectives of these ground-breaking artists who were central to the development of radical new approaches to art in Europe. Bringing together 65 works, many never seen in the UK before, the exhibition shows the individuality of each artist while shining a spotlight on the strong affinities between them. Combining impressive, bold and intimately-scaled works, this exhibition explores themes of identity, representation and belonging – all powerfully relevant today. Making Modernism at the Royal Academy: 12 November – 12 February 2023