Sinner Turned Saint Mary Magdalene Will Star in Frankfurt Show

The Städel Museum and Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung in Frankfurt will open "Mary Magdalene. Sin. Pray. Love," an exhibition dedicated to the sinner turned saint, which is due to run from September 17 through to January 2027.

The exhibition will feature over 100 paintings, sculptures, and prints by artists including Albrecht Dürer, Georges de La Tour, Guercino, Lavinia Fontana, and Elisabetta Sirani, which will be shown alongside contemporary piecs by Kiki Smith, Marlene Dumas, and David LaChapelle.

The display aims to illuminate the changing perceptions of women, faith, and societal roles as reflected through Mary Magdalene's representations.

Key loans from institutions include works from the National Gallery in London, Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre in Paris, the Vatican Museums, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Philipp Demandt, the director of the Frankfurt art museums, said: "Mary Magdalene fascinates because she vividly reflects the changing perceptions of women, faith and society over the centuries. Her story is therefore also always a story of how she has been viewed."