![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LACMA-Vezzi-portrait-museum-acquistiion-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Byrnes via Unsplash \/ Virginia Vezzi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Byrnes via Unsplash \/ Virginia Vezzi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n
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Unless you\u2019re a passionate follower of the fine art scene<\/a> 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<\/strong> back in April of 2025.<\/p>\n Now, the portrait is drawing attention after appearing in the 2025 rendition of Hyperallergic\u2018s annual list of Landmark Museum Acquisitions<\/a>. The leading contemporary art publication named fifteen top museum acquisitions<\/strong> from all over the world, including at the Tate Modern in London and the Mus\u00e9e du Louvre in Paris.<\/p>\n The list included Virginia Vezzi\u2019s Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria<\/strong> at LACMA, as well as Hilma af Klint\u2019s A Sunlit Grove of Birch and Pine Trees <\/strong>at L.A.\u2019s Getty Museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria <\/p>\n Virginia Vezzi\u2019s rediscovered Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria was one of six acquisitions<\/strong> for LACMA\u2019s permanent collection, completed after members raised more than $2.5 million in April 2025.<\/p>\n The painting in question dates to around 1624-1626<\/strong>, depicting Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the artist\u2019s own features<\/strong> \u2014 a traditional practice among female painters of the time, according to LACMA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Virginia Vezzi<\/strong>, also known as Virginia da Vezzo, was a talented painter in Rome and Paris in the early 1600s. <\/strong>As was typical for female artists at the time, her reputation was largely ignored<\/strong> and ultimately forgotten, despite having been accepted to Rome\u2019s esteemed Accademia di San Luca and working and teaching at the Louvre.<\/p>\n Vezzi\u2019s skill was overshadowed by the success of her husband<\/strong>, French painter Simon Vouet, and she died in relative obscurity at the age of 37 in 1638.<\/p>\n LACMA also possesses several works by Vouet, including Virginia da Vezzo, the Artist\u2019s Wife, as the Magdalen (c. 1627) which also uses Vezzi herself as the model<\/strong>. An article by The Art Newspaper<\/a> reports that LACMA will display Vezzi\u2019s portrait alongside that of Vouet.<\/strong><\/p>\n However, according to LACMA\u2019s online collection database, the Vouet painting is not currently on public view, and the Vezzi painting is not yet listed.<\/strong><\/p>\n Visiting LACMA <\/p>\n \ud83d\udd5c Hours<\/strong>: Open from 11am-6pm Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; 11am-8pm Friday, 10am-7pm Saturday and Sunday; closed Wednesday<\/p>\n \ud83d\udccd Location<\/strong>: 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcb8 Free admission days<\/strong>: Admission is free <\/a>for LA County residents on weekdays after 3pm with ID. It is also free to all visitors on the second Tuesday of each month.<\/p>\n![\"Self-Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Vezzi-portrait.jpg\"\/)
Virginia Vezzi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons <\/p>\n