Rubens’ workshop

From 15 October to 16 February, the Prado Museum will feature an exhibition dedicated to the successful Flemish Baroque painter Rubens. This exhibition, which can be accessed through the Villanueva building (Room 16B), explores the way in which the painter collaborated with the many assistants who worked in his workshop.

Curated by Alejandro Vergara, Head of Conservation for the Department of Flemish Painting and Schools of the North, the exhibition features twenty paintings, two drawings and five engravings, which will give insight into how the painter worked with his assistants.

The title of the exhibition refers to the studio in Antwerp where the artist created his paintings.  The studio itself will be recreated in the exhibition through the inclusion of easels, canvases, paintings, brushes, palettes, maulsticks and other materials and objects from both the seventeenth century and modern reproductions. Books, busts and other items can also be seen, evoking the renowned artist’s interests at the time.

Peter Paul Rubens was the best known European painter in the first half of the seventeenth century. His work was extensive and varied, and a total of 1500 of his works have been conserved. His extensive production is due to the size of his studio where various students collaborated on his artistic projects. In his art, the Flemish painter dealt with various pictorial themes including religion, history, classical mythology, landscapes and hunting scenes.

Image Credits:

Peter Paul Rubens and workshop. Mercury and Argos, 1636 - 1638. Madrid, National Prado Museum