Joe Byrnes via Unsplash / Virginia Vezzi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Unless you’re a passionate follower of the fine art scene in L.A., you may have missed the news that Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) acquired a significant 17th-century portrait by Virginia Vezzi back in April of 2025.
Now, the portrait is drawing attention after appearing in the 2025 rendition of Hyperallergic‘s annual list of Landmark Museum Acquisitions. The leading contemporary art publication named fifteen top museum acquisitions from all over the world, including at the Tate Modern in London and the Musée du Louvre in Paris.
The list included Virginia Vezzi’s Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria at LACMA, as well as Hilma af Klint’s A Sunlit Grove of Birch and Pine Trees at L.A.’s Getty Museum.
Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria
Virginia Vezzi’s rediscovered Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria was one of six acquisitions for LACMA’s permanent collection, completed after members raised more than $2.5 million in April 2025.
The painting in question dates to around 1624-1626, depicting Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the artist’s own features — a traditional practice among female painters of the time, according to LACMA.
Virginia Vezzi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Virginia Vezzi, also known as Virginia da Vezzo, was a talented painter in Rome and Paris in the early 1600s. As was typical for female artists at the time, her reputation was largely ignored and ultimately forgotten, despite having been accepted to Rome’s esteemed Accademia di San Luca and working and teaching at the Louvre.
Vezzi’s skill was overshadowed by the success of her husband, French painter Simon Vouet, and she died in relative obscurity at the age of 37 in 1638.
LACMA also possesses several works by Vouet, including Virginia da Vezzo, the Artist’s Wife, as the Magdalen (c. 1627) which also uses Vezzi herself as the model. An article by The Art Newspaper reports that LACMA will display Vezzi’s portrait alongside that of Vouet.
However, according to LACMA’s online collection database, the Vouet painting is not currently on public view, and the Vezzi painting is not yet listed.
Visiting LACMA
🕜 Hours: Open from 11am-6pm Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; 11am-8pm Friday, 10am-7pm Saturday and Sunday; closed Wednesday
📍 Location: 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
💸 Free admission days: Admission is free for LA County residents on weekdays after 3pm with ID. It is also free to all visitors on the second Tuesday of each month.
🌐 Website: LACMA.org