A major new exhibition exploring the legacy of Mary Magdalene is coming to Liverpool

The National Gallery will stage the UK’s first major exhibition examining the legacy of Mary Magdalene across historic and modern art, touring three locations in the North of England throughout 2027.

Organised in partnership with the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield, and Auckland Palace in Bishop Auckland, the show investigates how Mary Magdalene was constructed over time through the lenses of faith, power, and distorted narrative.

Mary Magdalene: Woman and Myth unites eight paintings from the National Gallery’s collection—including works by Carlo Crivelli (c. 1491–4), Annibale Carracci (1604), and Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo (c. 1535–40)—alongside three key loans: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’s ‘Saint Mary Magdalene in the Desert’ (1869, Städel Museum, Frankfurt), Jesse Jones’s ‘The Tower (Mary Magdalene)’ (2022), and Alice Maher and Rachel Fallon’s ‘The Map’ (2021).

Tracing her narrative from Renaissance panel paintings to modern sculpture, visitors will meet the figure behind a quintessential historical image.

Host venues will integrate selections from their own permanent collections, creating a unique display in Liverpool, Sheffield, and Bishop Auckland.

This artistic breadth illustrates how centuries of storytelling reshaped Magdalene far past her biblical accounts. Reframing her as a saint and a symbol of authority, devotion, and testimony—rather than strictly a penitent sinner—the exhibition examines her enduring influence and fascination.

Saint Mary Magdalene’s biography has long been wrapped in mystery. Scriptural accounts place her beside Jesus as a companion, supporter of his public ministry, and witness to his crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

Over time, however, her identity merged with other women in the Gospels, replacing her status as a primary disciple with that of a contrite sinner—a transformation reflected across Western European art, theology, and culture. Institutions and individuals routinely refashioned her image to mirror their own ideas regarding repentance and female sexuality.

By connecting her history to modern feminist thought, the exhibition examines how women’s lives are preserved, altered, or erased within systems of power, ultimately celebrating Mary Magdalene’s legacy and honouring all women who endure through misrepresentation.

Dr Siobhán Jolley, Lecturer in Christian Studies at the University of Manchester and Curator of the exhibition, says:

“Mary Magdalene’s story is ultimately a story about power: who is remembered, who is misrepresented, and whose voices are heard.

“Over nearly two thousand years, her image has been continually reshaped to reflect changing ideas about women’s authority, sexuality and faith.

“By exploring the relationship between the woman and the myth, the exhibition invites visitors to consider what happens when a life becomes a legend, and why that matters today.”

Designed from the start as a travelling display, ‘Mary Magdalene: Woman and Myth’ opens first at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool (6 February – 23 May 2027), before moving to the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield (17 June – 12 September 2027), and concluding at Auckland Palace, Bishop Auckland (29 September 2027 – 2 January 2028).

Alex Kavanagh, Head of Exhibitions at the National Gallery, says:

“We are incredibly fortunate to be working with three wonderful partners across the UK on this tour. Exhibitions like this allow us to take the National Gallery’s collection beyond Trafalgar Square and share it with audiences across the country. By working together, we can bring great art to more people and tell compelling stories that resonate with communities nationwide.”

Find out more about Mary Magdalene: Woman and Myth here.

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