Self-portrait

Antonietta Raphaël's Self-portrait reflects her fierce anti-academic stance and deep engagement with Expressionism. As an Italian sculptor and painter of Jewish heritage and Lithuanian birth, she co-founded the Scuola Romana movement with her husband Mario Mafai. Her work is characterized by a profound exploration of raw emotion and vibrant carnality, particularly evident in her post-WWII sculptures like Miriam dormiente and Nemesis, which emphasize the tactile and energetic qualities of stone. This painting exemplifies her rejection of academic conventions in favor of expressive, deeply personal imagery rooted in a powerful artistic language.