Time for Women! 20 Years of Art on Show Until August 31

Until August 31, 2025, the spaces of the Strozzina at Palazzo Strozzi host Time for Women! Empowering Visions in 20 Years of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, a landmark exhibition that brings together for the first time the nine winning projects from two decades of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women. Launched in 2005 and awarded every two years, the prize is a collaboration between Max Mara, Whitechapel Gallery in London, and Collezione Maramotti. It offers a unique opportunity: a six-month residency in Italy for female-identifying artists to develop a new body of work, later exhibited in the UK and in Reggio Emilia.

Now, for the first time, these works are reunited in a single exhibition that traces an evolving and powerful vision of contemporary art through a distinctly female lens. The artists featured—Margaret Salmon, Hannah Rickards, Andrea Büttner, Laure Prouvost, Corin Sworn, Emma Hart, Helen Cammock, Emma Talbot, and Dominique White—represent different generations and artistic approaches, but are united by the depth and originality of their research.

Each project on display was conceived and created during the artist’s Italian residency, resulting in a collection of works that are not only artistically ambitious but also deeply rooted in specific cultural, social, and political contexts. From film and video to sculpture, ceramics, and large-scale installations, the exhibition explores recurring themes such as identity, the body, memory, language, resistance, and the meaning of being a woman in today’s world.

Visitors can encounter Margaret Salmon’s lyrical film on motherhood, Hannah Rickards’ immersive sound compositions, or Andrea Büttner’s tactile, meditative works. Laure Prouvost’s dreamlike installations contrast with Corin Sworn’s research into Renaissance theatre. Emma Hart uses ceramics to explore family dynamics and emotional communication, while Helen Cammock reclaims forgotten narratives through poetry and video. Emma Talbot reinvents mythologies through painted silk and animation, and Dominique White confronts colonial legacies and Black identity through haunting sculptural forms.

The exhibition is not just a celebration of individual talent, but a testament to what happens when institutions choose to invest time, trust, and resources in women’s creative processes. It is also a reminder of the continuing need to promote gender equality in the arts—not only through visibility, but through long-term structural support.

Organized by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and Collezione Maramotti, with the support of Max Mara and in collaboration with Whitechapel Gallery, Time for Women! is an invitation to experience the strength and diversity of female artistic vision today—right in the heart of Florence.

Support Florence Daily News

Florence Daily News is an independent news site covering the stories, culture, and life of Florence and Tuscany. We don’t rely on clickbait, invasive or hidden advertising, or paywalls. Instead, we believe in quality journalism that respects our readers and serves those who care about thoughtful, local reporting.

If you value our work, consider supporting us with a donation.

Donate securely via Stripe below.