The iconic Flemish artist who lived from 1577 to 1640, was commonly thought to have painted inactive, silent female subjects. But an exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery titled, “Rubens & Women” on view until January 28, 2024, presents a more nuanced look at how the artist depicted women and their influence on his creative world.

The show includes a range of over 40 works, such as intimate drawings and dramatic oil paintings, plus archival material from throughout the artist’s career, spotlighting how “women in Rubens’s art were not simply passive objects to be observed, but active agents of their own destiny,” states the exhibition text.

The show, curated by Dr Ben van Benedon and Dr Amy Orrock, includes international masterpieces never shown in the UK before, along with works from the gallery’s collection.

“Prepare to be surprised by the many faces of Rubens’s women,” said Orrock in a statement. “You will meet formidable patrons, nurturing goddesses, and much-loved family members, all depicted with Rubens’s mix of skill, erudition, and humanity.”

A walk through the exhibition begins with a series of portraits, including one of the artist’s most lavish productions: Marchesa Maria Serra Pallavicino or Marchesa Veronica Spinola Doria (1606–7), while other highlights include Young Woman Looking Down (Study for head of St Apollonia) (1628), on loan from the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, for which the artist’s wife and child posed.

A particularly touching portrait of his daughter, not long before she died at age 12, is also on view.

Importantly, Rubens’ approach to the female nude is explored in a series of works illustrating how his process evolved over time, particularly in connection to the artist’s work with sculpture. And lastly, the show concludes with large paintings of heroic, mythological women, such as the unforgettable, The Birth of the Milky Way (1636-38), on loan from the Prado, Madrid.

The Exhibition “will highlight the tenderness and empathy with which Rubens depicted not only his family, but many of his female figures. If Raphael endowed his female figures with grace, and Titian with beauty, Rubens gave them veracity, energy and soul,” said Van Benedon.

Below, get a sense of the show and some of its highlights at the London show.

Peter Paul Rubens, The Birth of the Milky Way (1636–38). © Photographic Archive. Museo Nacional del Prado. Madrid

Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders, Diana Returning from the Hunt, (ca. 1623). Courtesy bpk | Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden | Elke Estel | Hans-Peter Klut.

Peter Paul Rubens, The Virgin in Adoration before the Christ Child, (ca. 1616–19). KBC Bank, Antwerp, Museum Snyders&Rockox House

Peter Paul Rubens, Venus, Mars and Cupid (ca. 1635). Courtesy Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Peter Paul Rubens, Clara Serena Rubens, the Artist’s Daughter, (ca. 1620–3). Private Collection.

Rubens & Women at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Photo by Graham Turner.

Rubens & Women at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Photo by Graham Turner.

Rubens & Women at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Photo by Graham Turner.

“Rubens & Women” is on view at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, through January 2024.

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