Goddesses, saints, demons: “Revered and Feared. Feminine Power in Art and Belief” is a collaborative exhibition created by Madrid’s La Caixa Foundation and London’s British Museum, bringing together 166 historical objects to highlight spiritual perceptions of femininity around the globe.

Objects on display date from prehistory through to the 21^st century, and follow five themes: “Creation and Nature,” “Passion and Desire,” “Magic and Malice,” “Justice and Defence,” and “Compassion and Salvation.” Contemporary artists involved in the show include Marina Abramović and Zanele Muholi. The objects—which span over 5,000 years—call into question our beliefs about gender expression, examine women’s multifaceted roles in society and folklore, and celebrate ancient customs and traditions. 

Its curators have called it “the first exhibition of its kind.”

The show has been co-curated by Belinda Crerar, of the British Museum, and Risa Martínez, an independent curator and advisor for the selection of the contemporary artworks included in the show.

In an interview for the Fundación La Caixa, Crerar explained that the exhibition explores “all the different ways that female identity has been framed throughout history and around the world” and that it is “particularly relevant today in light of recent gender equality movements, to be reflecting on our own cultural pre-conceptions when it comes to gender identity and female empowerment.”

Highlights in the show include a bust of the Roman goddess Minerva, a Buddhist figure of Bodhisattva Guanyin, a Taraka dance mask from West Bengal, and a statuette of the river deity Oshun from the Yoruba culture of Nigeria.

“Revered and Feared. Feminine Power in Art and Belief” is on view at Caixa Forum, Madrid, through January 14, 2024. Check out more works from the show below.

Zanele Muholi, Somnyama IV, Oslo (2015). Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson, New York.

Painted Terracotta, Italy (c. 500 B.C.E.) © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

Egyptian Amulet (1069–664 BC) © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

Queen of the Night, Iraq (c. 1750 B.C.E.) © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

Workshop of Sri Kajal Datta, Dance Mask of Taraka (1994). © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

White Tara, Tibet (1700–1900). © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

Porcelain, China (c. 1700-22). © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

Silver Medal of Queen Anne, U.K. (1707). © The Trustees of the British Museum (2023).

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