The Women of Milan

Milan’s 2020 arts programme ‘I talenti delle donne’ (the talents of women) celebrates the contributions of women in arts, culture, business, sport, science and politics. Exhibitions will cover women such as Adriana Fabbri Bisi, Tina Modotti, Margaret Bourke-White and – at a highly-anticipated exhibition of Baroque painters at the Palazzo Reale – Artemisia Gentileschi. In the meantime, let’s look at some other Milanese women who have made their mark in some way. This isn’t a complete list by any means – for example, only two of the women mentioned are still living, and there are many more who have contributed to make Milan the city we find today.

1 CURIEL: A MATRIARCHY OF MILANESE COUTURE

Curiel is the story of four generations ns of women: Ortensia, who dressed the ladies of Trieste society at the beginning of the 20th century, niece Gigliola, who came to Milan in 1945 with a small daughter named Raffaella or ‘Lella,’ Raffaella la herself, and her daughter, also named Gigliola. After the war, the first Gigliola opened her atelier in the area reaching out around Via Montenapoleone. The choice was wise,