A passion for the art and literature of classical antiquity inspired the dynamic Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). Presented amidst the antiquities collection at the Getty Villa, this exhibition juxtaposes the artist’s exhilarating drawings, oil sketches, and monumental paintings with rarely shown ancient objects, including exquisite gems owned by Rubens himself. Heroic nudes, fierce hunts, splendid military processions, and Bacchic revels attest to the artist’s extraordinary ability to translate an array of sources into new subjects.
Major support from Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
Generous support from the Leonetti/O’Connell Family Foundation
Selected Works
Publication
Edited by Anne T. Woollett, Davide Gasparotto, and Jeffrey Spier
Giovanni Baglione, Joachim von Sandrart, and Roger de Piles
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Mobile Tour
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Podcast
Peter Paul Rubens and the Arts of Antiquity
A 17th-century artist’s fascination with classical antiquity.
Getty Talk
A Living Past: Peter Paul Rubens and Antiquity