An extensive new exhibition at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt explores the evolving image of Mary Magdalene, tracing her portrayal from revered disciple to penitent sinner over the centuries. Titled “Mary Magdalene: Sin. Pray. Love.” and hosted in collaboration with the Liebieghaus Sculpture Collection, the show opened last week and will run through January 17. It features more than 100 works—including paintings, sculptures, and prints—from around 60 institutions in Europe and North America, emphasizing representations by female artists.

Mary Magdalene’s shifting identity in religious and artistic tradition is central to the exhibition. According to Bastian Eclercy, the Städel’s head of Italian, French, and Spanish paintings before 1800, the popular image of Magdalene as a former prostitute bears little relation to biblical accounts. The Gospels describe her as a devoted follower who was the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection, but historical interpretations began to change significantly after Pope Gregory the Great conflated her with other biblical women in a sermon delivered in Rome around 591 AD. This interpretation, widely accepted for about a millennium, included associating Magdalene with an unnamed sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet and Mary of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus.

Eclercy noted that the conflation likely reflected the patriarchal context of the era, which was uncomfortable with a woman’s primary role in witnessing the resurrection. As a result, Magdalene was recast as a penitent sinner—a role model for contrition—particularly during the Counter-Reformation when Catholic doctrine emphasized penance. Despite this, church doctrine was corrected in 1969 when the Vatican clarified in a prayer book that Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, and the unnamed sinful woman were distinct figures, and that there is no biblical evidence to support the view that Magdalene was a prostitute.

The exhibition highlights prominent historical artworks that illustrate these changing perceptions, including Georges de La Tour’s circa 1635-40 painting depicting Magdalene with a mirror and skull, symbols of vanity and mortality, respectively. Albrecht Dürer’s early 16th-century woodcut shows her being elevated to heaven by angels, while Lavinia Fontana’s circa 1581 piece portrays the moment Magdalene mistakes the resurrected Christ for a gardener, an event referenced in the Gospel of John.

Contemporary representations in the exhibition explore new dimensions of Magdalene’s identity, often produced by female artists who see in her a symbol of strength and independence. South African painter Marlene Dumas’s 1995 works present contrasting images of Magdalene—one as a traditional white nude and the other as a Black woman—while American photographer David LaChapelle’s 2018 portrait imagines Kim Kardashian embodying Magdalene, crying glittering tears.

Eclercy emphasized that Magdalene has served as a versatile figure across artistic and cultural contexts, embodying diverse themes of devotion, redemption, and femininity. “There’s not one Mary Magdalene in this show, but 10,” he said, reflecting the multiplicity of her representations through time.