Schmidt says once he got to the Uffizi, he discovered “that we are the museum with the largest collection of works of arts by women before the 19th century.” Schmidt says he set to work getting as many of these paintings out of storage as possible, including a large collection of self-portraits by women. This year the Uffizi also held the first in what will be a series of annual exhibitions devoted to women artists of the past. The event will open every year on March 8 to coincide with International Women’s Day.