The Civic Museums Foundation hosts a heroine of art history in the Doge 's Palace and marks the extraordinary return to Venice of an illustrious artist. With the arrival of Mary Magdalene in ecstasy, a masterpiece by Artemisia Gentileschi, the exhibition "Guests at the Palace" is inaugurated. The work comes from a private collector to enter, thanks to a long-term loan, in the collections of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and from Saturday 11 June it will be exhibited in the Doge's Palace.

In the painting Mary Magdalene is not penitent, but in ecstasy, with her head tilted back and her eyes closed in a mystical rapture. The light source coming from below increases the intimate drama of the scene. Pose and face express a raw sensuality, that this subject was painted by a woman with such expressive intensity only increased its value in the eyes of the collectors of the time, today it continues to emanate a charm that conquers the contemporary viewer. The work arrives at the Doge's Palace after the successful Her Hand: Artemisia Gentileschi and Women Artists in Italy 1500–1800 exhibition in the Detroit Institute of Arts, which closed on May 29th.

The relationship between Venice and Artemisia Gentileschi has only become clearer in recent years. Today we know that the painter stayed in the city for about three years, between 1626 and 1629, testimonies referable to academic and literary circles inform us of her presence and activities. Artemisia in Venice came into contact with some of the greatest exponents of the literary culture of the time and her presence did not go unnoticed: many poets dedicated eloquent verses to her, admired her artistic temperament and involved her in their literary evenings. Among the numerous letters and poems dedicated to her are some verses inserted in a pamphlet printed in 1627 by the Venetian publisher Andrea Muschio, which mentions three paintings by what is defined as a "Roman painter in Venetia"