Girl Saints: Exhibition

'Girl Saints' is the final exhibtion in Girl Museum's 2010 season. The purpose of this exhibition is to examine representations of sixteen girl saints— to learn about their lives and deaths.

Our mission is to celebrate girlhood and through the Girlhood in Art series we explore ways this has been depicted in art history. Images of girls being tortured and killed, whether for religious or political reasons, is not a celebration. However, the destruction of girlhood is a strong theme throughout human history, with intentions ranging from forgiveness to peace.

Regardless of personal beliefs, do the messages justify the pictures? Visit our exhibition and decide for yourself.


The Legend of Cloelia, Guidoccio di Giovanni Cozzarelli, c. 1480, Tempera and gold on wood, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple, Titian, 1534-38, Oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. WikiCommons.

St. Eulalia, J.W. Waterhouse, 1885, Tate Gallery, London. WikiCommons.

The Martyrdom and Last Communion of St. Lucy, Veronese, c.1582, Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

The Martyrdom of Saint Barbara, Lucas Cranach the Elder, c.1510, Oil on wood, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Joan Interrogated in her Prison Cell by Cardinal Winchester, Hippolyte Delaroche, 1824, Oil on canvas, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen. WikiCommons.

Saint Agnes, Domenichino, c.1620, Oil on canvas, Royal Collection, Windsor. WikiCommons.

Triptych of the Martyrdom of St Liberata, Hieronymus Bosch, c.1500, Oil on panel, Palazzo Ducale, Venice.

St. Peter Healing St. Agatha, Giovanni Lanfranco, c.1614, Galleria Nazione, Parma. WikiCommons.

Altarpiece Of Saint Christina, Carlo Dolci, c. 1650 – 1655, Oil on panel, Kedleston Hall, Derby. WikiCommons.

The Martyrdom of St. Justine, Veronese, c.1573, Oil on canvas, Uffizi Gallery, Florence. WikiCommons.

St Ursula and the Holy Virgins, Hans Memling, 1489, Memlingmuseum, Brugges. WikiCommons.

St Margaret, Francisco de Zurbaran, c. 1631, Oil on canvas, National Gallery, London. WikiCommons.

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Claude Chauchetiere, c.1691, [Sepia ink], unknown location. WikiCommons.

Maria Goretti, Giuseppe Brovelli-Soffredini, 1929, unknown location. WikiCommons.

Bernadette Soubirous, c.1860. Unknown photographer and location.

Curatorial Essay Past/Present/Future Links Girl Museum

Special thanks to Ilana Nash, Junior girls Vanessa Jorion, Sarah Lynch, and Miriam Musco for their work on this exhibition.

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