This richly diverse exploration of female artists and self-portraits is a brilliant and poignant demonstration of originality in works of haunting variety.
The two earliest self-portraits come from 12th-century illuminated manuscripts in which nuns gaze at us across eight centuries.
In 16th-century Italy, Sofonisba Anguissola paints one of the longest series of self-portraits, spanning adolescence to old age.
In 17th-century Holland, Judith Leyster shows herself at the easel as a relaxed, self-assured professional.
In the 18th century, artists from Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun to Angelica Kauffman express both passion for their craft and the idea of femininity;
and in the 19th the salons and art schools at last open their doors to a host of talented women artists, including Berthe Morisot, ushering in a new and resonant self-confidence.
The modern period demolishes taboos: Alice Neel painting herself nude at eighty, Frida Kahlo rendering physical pain, Cindy Sherman exploring identity, Marlene Dumas dispensing with all boundaries.
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