More about Rubens Experience

Great artists never die. So it's no surprise that people have been fascinated by Rubens for four centuries now. By his ability but also by who he was. That is a story that needs to be told. There are also so many aspects to it that a book or a conventional museum wouldn't be enough. In the Rubens Experience, you actually step inside that story and it's the start of your high-tech journey into his life. You've never seen Rubens like this before!  

Take a seat in the open area. Can you see that? On the large wall will appear works of art by Rubens and his Italian sources of inspiration. One minute they are life-sized and the next minute, you get to see them in detail. Different walls, screens and monitors display his life's story, while an audio experience takes you even deeper into Rubens's world.  

You get to follow the artist from Antwerp as it was back then to Rome, Paris, London and Madrid and are confronted with an almost life-like representation of the richness and power of Rubens's work and life. A life that was passionate and enthusiastic, but sometimes actually rather conventional. Dramatic and then suddenly playful. Lively, but often equally subdued. Rubens in your face! And straight into your heart.

Now it's your turn. As you pass through various experience zones, you conduct your own investigation. A giant painting immediately catches your attention: the Assumption of Mary. Rubens painted this work for Antwerp Cathedral. Suddenly, it also turns up here and you get the chance to look closely at every stroke of the brush. Zoom in and discover something new every time.  

Where did Rubens draw his inspiration from? How did he start working on his masterpieces? What role did his assistants play? And how can you tell a fake Rubens from a genuine Rubens? You can find the answer to these and lots more questions on the experience panels. Become a patron, complete an art quiz with other visitors or appear in a legendary artwork yourself.

In one of the side-galleries, you are surrounded by exclusive artworks from the Rubenshuis collection. Three of those can be seen on 'The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest', a work painted in 1628 by Willem van Haecht. Can you see where they are? And can you recognise Rubens? Take a photo of yourself and have your picture included in the Gallery!  

On the other side, you are standing eye to eye with Rubens. On his self-portrait, it's not a painter that you can see, but an elegant gentleman. Was this a deliberate choice? And did that match the image that other people had of Rubens? Rubens was a well-known figure and people were always talking about him. Through the buzz of his contemporaries, you suddenly also hear his voice …