Sofonisba Anguissola was a painter from Cremona, Italy. She met Michelangelo when he traveled to Rome to meet her.
Her father Amilcare was fundamental in breaking gender barriers that would have closed her career. Sofonisba married a Sicilian nobleman and remarried. She died two years later, aged 91, and was portrayed by another famous artist, Anthony van Dyck. For the first time in her second time, Lavinia Fontana, one of her first disciples, celebrated her 200th birthday alongside her. She was the star in a key exhibition at the Prado Museum in Madrid, which celebrated her birthday alongside another genius, Bavio Baggio, who was also 200 years old. For more information on the exhibition, go to: http://www.prado.org/prado-museums/lavinia-fontana/lavia-baggio-lavana.html.