Venus In View

Diego Velကzquez's masterpiece 'The Rokeby Venus' is one of the greatest nudes ever painted.

So why did militant suffragette Mary Richardson attack it in London's National Gallery on March 10th, 1914?

Art historian Mari Griffith examines her reasons and looks at the way the event was reported at the time.

One of the finest works of the Spanish Golden Age and Velကzquez's only surviving nude, The Rokeby Venus was painted during the Spanish Inquisition. Escaping censorship, it was brought to Britain, and was the first artwork to be saved for the nation by the National Art Collections Fund in 1906.

In what became one of the most famous and symbolic acts of 20th century iconoclasm, Mary Richardson damaged it badly. In a statement she said that she had "tried to destroy the picture of the most beautiful woman in mythological history as a protest against the Government for destroying Mrs. Pankhurst, who is the most beautiful character in modern history".

Emmeline Pankhurst was then imprisoned at a time when suffragettes were being badly treated whilst incarcerated. Richardson gained little sympathy from the broader public, or the Press who dubbed her 'Slasher Mary'. Yet her statements on the subject came to vary as time passed.

To find out more, Mari Griffith talks to Lynda Nead, author of 'The Female Nude', on how the 1914 attack was interpreted at the time, the outrage caused by it, and the way the incident has come to symbolize the perception of feminist attitudes towards the female nude.

Mari studies the restored work in the National Gallery with the curator of Italian and Spanish paintings, Letizia Treves, and discusses its historical significance and continuing influence.

Photographer Tom Hunter talks about his reinterpretation of the painting, and the wide-ranging responses the painting still elicits.

A century on, how does history judge Mary Richardson?

Producer: Megan Jones

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2014.

Mari Griffith examines the motivation behind the attack on The Rokeby Venus 100 years ago