‘Dangerous Women’ Draws Crowd: FIU Art Museum’s Current Exhibit Attracts Visitors with Seductive Theme

Published in miamiartzine.com as “‘Women’ Opens At Frost Museum: Images Of Females Depicted From Bible The Focus”

Temptress, martyr, virgin: these are just a few of the archetypal images of women that have been portrayed in literature throughout history.  One of the oldest books is the Bible, and much like the mythical Greek gods and goddesses, the characters from the religious text have been replicated in visual art, especially during the Renaissance in Europe.

The current exhibit at FIU, Dangerous Women: Selections from the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, presents images of females from the Bible as portrayed by 16th and 17th-century artists, including Pietro da Cortona and Jan Saenredam. The exhibition concludes with modern and contemporary representations: Robert Henri’s sensuous Salome from 1901 and Mickalene Thomas’ Portrait of Mamma Bush I from 2010, a reminder of consistent interest in the subject from the past until the present.

The Bible, along with other religious texts, is notorious for conceiving women as dangerous temptresses. The very fall of man was supposedly caused by a woman, Eve in the garden.  What is it about some women that makes them so dangerous? Are they a threat to the patriarchal power structures?

Are dangerous women synonymous with powerful women? During the Renaissance the most powerful thing a woman could be was virtuous.  On Saturday February 17th, during the exhibition opening day, there was a panel discussing feminism in art history and the lives of women in Renaissance society.  The panelist included Kimberly Dennis, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Art & Art History and Program in Sexuality, Women’s & Gender Studies, Rollins College; Mary D. Garrard, PhD, Professor Emerita of Art History, American University; and Guido Ruggiero, PhD, Professor of history and College of Arts and Sciences Cooper Fellow, University of Miami.

Professor Dennis said that she asked her students: “What is the most powerful thing a woman can be today? Her students replied, “Sexy.”   “Is this real power?” she asked the audience.

Professor Garrard said that sexual power is not intellectual or political power.  “I wouldn’t want that kind of power,” she stated. “Sexualizing a woman is a device to keep her disempowered.”

This exhibition has been organized by The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, Florida State University, Sarasota, FL.

Support for this exhibition is made possible through the FUNDING ARTS NETWORK, INC. and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.

The Dangerous Women exhibition will be closed to the public on Saturday, March 10 all day, and the entire museum will close at 3:00 pm for an exclusive experience with Seraphic Fire.

Visit https://frost.fiu.edu for more information

The exhibit is on display until May 20, 2018