Rubens in Europe.(Report from Europe)(Peter Paul Rubens)(Biography)

Peter Paul Rubens was born in 1577, studied painting in Antwerp, and swiftly outshone his teachers. In 1598 he became a master painter in the Guild of Saint Luke, and two years later he went to Italy and there achieved his artistic maturity. He traveled and worked in Italy and Spain before returning to Antwerp in 1608, where he established himself as an outstanding painter of religious and secular works. Rubens became court painter to the rulers of the Spanish Low Countries, who encouraged other European leaders to commission paintings from him.

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In addition to his success as a painter Rubens traveled widely on diplomatic missions for Spain. He was sent to London by Philip IV, where he so charmed Charles I that he not only received commissions but also a knighthood. Wherever he went, Rubens painted portraits, mythological and religious scenes, and decorative commissions for palaces and churches.

Given his travels, it is fitting that exhibitions devoted to Rubens are being held in a number of European countries. At the Hermitage Rooms in London's Somerset House an exhibition of his oil sketches was recently on view (see Report from Europe in the December 2003 issue of The Magazine ANTIQUES).

The northern French city of Lille, which shares with Genoa the title of European Cultural Capital of 2004, is holding a major exhibition entitled Rubens at the Palais des Beaux-Arts from March 6 to June 14. The curator is Arnauld Brejon de Lavergnee, and the sponsors are Banque ...