The exhibition seeks to raise awareness of one of the most outstanding facets of the work of the Flemish painter, Pieter Paul Rubens (Siegen, Germany, 1577-1640, Antwerp, Belgium), the painter of sketches who is considered to be the most important in the history of European art.

Of the nearly 500 oil sketches that Rubens painted throughout his artistic career, this exhibition brings together 73 from leading institutions worldwide, such as the Louvre, the Hermitage, the National Gallery or the New York  Metropolitan Museum, along with a selection of those conserved in the Prado and the Boijmans – two of the largest collections of this type- will be on display for four months in Room C of the Jerónimos Building. Furthermore, to reach a total of 93 works, some drawings, prints and paintings by Rubens can also be contemplated, providing a context for the sketches.

Rubens turned the oil sketch into an essential part of his creative process and his works  entitle him to be called the most important painter of sketches in the history of European art.

This is a themed exhibition that focuses on the importance of the artist in the history of oil sketches as well as presenting the results of an exhaustive research project directed by Friso Lammertse, curator of Old Painting at the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, and Alejandro Vergara, Head Curator of Flemish and Northern Schools painting at the Prado Museum. Their conclusions form the basis of the publication that accompanies the  exhibition.

This exhibition has been organised in conjunction with the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.

Image Credit:

Miraculous Fishing, h. 1610. Oil on panel, 39.7 x 48.2 cm. Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz Museum & Foundation Corboud

Prometheus, 1636 - 1637. Oil on panel, 25.7 x 16.6 cm.

The Capture of Samson, h. 1609 - 1610. Oil on panel, 50.4 x 66.4 cm. Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, Robert A. Waller Memorial Fund, inv 1923.551