The Triumph of Bacchus is the largest and most unusual of the paintings made by the Flemish artist Michaelina Wautier, whose career remains shrouded in mystery: we know that she lived from around 1614 to 1689, but not where she was born or where she learnt to paint. Her work must surely have been known to her contemporaries, but we have yet to discover secure evidence of her initial reputation.
As this composition reveals, Wautier was an artist of great technical skill, considerable daring, and a subtle sense of humor. At the center, Bacchus himself sprawls on a simple cart, while a satyr squeezes the juice from a bunch of grapes into his mouth. To these and several other almost naked male figures, Wautier adds a portrait of herself: with one breast bared (as if assuming the roles of both maenad and Amazon), she stands at the right and looks boldly out at the viewer.
As a complement to the composition, a never-before-seen representation of the work is being presented for the first time with the aid of generative AI software. Following instructions developed in collaboration with art historians, the AI restored or expanded areas of the image that had been lost. This innovative form of presentation opens up an additional—and perhaps entirely “new”—discourse. Developed in partnership with the Ars Electronica Futurelab team and representatives of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, this format is being shown in Deep Space 8K for the very first time.
This presentation has been organized in collaboration with Haltadefinizione.
From 30 September 2025, The Triumph of Bacchus will be presented at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in the most comprehensive exhibition ever to be devoted to Michaelina Wautier.
