RUBENS and his Age

guggenheim-bilbao.es
2. october - february 2003

fig.: jacob Jordaens. Banquet Cleopatra

In putting together this exhibition, more than 150 pieces were selected from the Hermitage Museum collection. Included are works by Rubens and other acclaimed artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and Jacob Van Oost the Elder, among others, most of whom were Rubens’ pupils or collaborators. Through natural, historical and biblical scenes, portraits of renowned personalities and a wide range of pieces and objects, the exhibition sets out to show viewers the history of an age and its art.

more culture>>>

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents an important selection of the work of Rubens from one of the world’s leading collections of masterpieces: the State Hermitage Museum, created by initiative of Czarina Catherine the Great in the mid-eighteenth century. The collection was located in the main building of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, the heart of what was to become the Hermitage Museum. Additional buildings were later annexed to the palace to provide space for new works, as was the Theatre, thus paving the way for other art forms such as dance, theatre and music.

The work of artistic genius Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), created mainly in seventeenth century Flanders, occupies a prominent space in the Hermitage Museum. Despite the fact that Rubens is known the world over for his painting, in which he exquisitely fused the spirit of Flemish baroque with the influence of Italian painting, the expression of his creative intensity went beyond the realm of painting, leaving its mark in other areas associated with the plastic arts.

With the exhibition Rubens and His Age. Treasures from the Hermitage Museum the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao aims not only to focus on the diverse artistic facets of Rubens, but also to shed light on the environment in which he created his art and the influence he had on his contemporaries.

In putting together this exhibition, more than 150 pieces were selected from the Hermitage Museum collection. Included are works by Rubens and other acclaimed artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens and Jacob Van Oost the Elder, among others, most of whom were Rubens’ pupils or collaborators. Through natural, historical and biblical scenes, portraits of renowned personalities and a wide range of pieces and objects, the exhibition sets out to show viewers the history of an age and its art.

Concerned with the development of artistic expression of all types, Iberdrola is proud to sponsor this exceptional show, which also highlights the image of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Russia. Therefore we continue to take part in promoting an understanding of the variety of cultural treasures handed down to us through the generations and which contribute to the cultural and social progress of our community.