Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614) grew up in the progressive city of Bologna. University of Bologna, founded in 1088, allowed women to study and develop their artistic talents. Fontana painted Noli Me Tangere a year before completing her university degree. She was probably the first female artist to paint nudes. She was the first woman to be invited into Rome’s prestigious Academia Nazionale di San Luca. She achieved respect and equal standing with men. Her father, Prospero Fontana (1512-1597) was an artist, and Lavinia continued to work in the family studio after her marriage with her father’s assistant in 1577.
