In 2022 Carla van de Puttelaar started the portrait project Prominent and Promising Women in the EU in cooperation with the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU*. The series aims to visualize the state of women's representation in the EU. It is intending to inspire and invite discussion on gender equality and inclusion in the EU and beyond. The first exhibition of this project consisting of fourteen portraits, organized by the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU opens on 8 March 2023 at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Belgium in Brussels in presence of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, whose portrait is included in the series and the Netherlands Minister for Digitalisation Alexandra van Huffelen. Amongst those who also were so kind as to participate in this project are President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, CEPS expert Tinatin Akhvlediani and Abir Al-Sahlani, Member of the European Parliament for the Swedish Center Party.

Previously, Carla van de Puttelaar initiated the acclaimed, on-going portrait series Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World (https://www.womenintheartworld.com/) in the spring of 2017 (begun prior to the #MeToo movement) with the aim to shine a light on the many talented women in this field - to showcase their accomplishments, intelligence, power, and beauty. To date, this important series includes over 550 international women from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, nationalities, ages, and professions. Carla has portrayed artists, art historians, museum curators and directors, auction professionals, dealers and gallerists, collectors, philanthropists, art fair organizers, journalists, museum trustees, to name some of the professions represented in the project.  The project was exhibited at a number of venues and museums in Europe and the US, including TEFAF New York, Sotheby's (both New York and Amsterdam), The National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg to name a few. Last year Carla also cooperated with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Brussels on Belgian women in the art world which resulting in an exhibition at their premises.

The new portrait series Prominent and Promising Women in the EU, premiering with a first exhibition of fourteen portraits of impressive women, aims to grow into a larger series that will show the representation of female decision makers in EU and will shine more light on their personalities and achievements.

* With grateful thanks to the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU.