Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, Rule Breaker broke ground at National Gallery of Ireland as their first headline show dedicated to a female artist. The exhibition explored the extraordinary life and works of the 16th century Bolognese painter. Widely considered to be the first woman to work as a professional artist, which in itself defied gender conventions of the time, Fontana was also the first woman to paint public altarpieces, and female nudes.