New entrance

However you look at it, Hopland 13 marks a new start. Thanks to the extra experiences it will provide, you can get to know Rubens in all his facets. The atmosphere alternates between the intimate and the grandiose. In the ​​​​Rubens Experience, feats of technology will immerse you in the artist's universe. Carrying out some independent research? Lose yourself in the endless collection in the ​library. And be sure not to miss seeing the garden. It was and still is the ultimate extension of the painter's palace in the city.  

Four centuries ago, the site where the new entrance is located was where Rubens stored his extensive book collection. It is also where we are building upon his forward-looking vision of art and architecture, by realising a building in a contemporary design. A building that makes its presence felt but is still discreet, as it is located sideways to the artist's residence.  

It is certainly a well thought-out solution. Not only does it preserve the view of the portico and the inner garden, but their connecting role has also been kept intact. Precisely how Rubens visualised them. Once the restoration of the artist's residence is completed, the recreated garden will act as a green link between the historical residence and the newly built section. 

Ars Horti drew up a contemporary garden design consisting of 17,500 plants that will provide beauty in every season. The reason for this is because the colour advice from the Antwerp-based fashion designer, Dries Van Noten guarantees a varied palette of tints all year round. ​​In this garden, experiencing nature and art merge into one. And you get to understand why Rubens felt that his garden was so important. 

Meet Rubens the artist, but also Rubens as a man made from flesh and blood. Just as life-like as the figures in his works. Take a good look! The rows of columns on the outside remind you of the muscled ribcage in Rubens's paintings. At the same time, this is a nod to his predilection for Italian architecture. 

A coincidence? The many round shapes cause an unexpected extra effect: both during the day and at night, light and dark play an intriguing game. After all, it is no coincidence that Rubens was the ‘master of shadow’. He enjoyed extremes. Both in his artistic and his personal life. It regularly caused fireworks in his brain. Come in and let the things you see set off a spark for you too.  

Even the inside of the buildings remains faithful to Rubens. The two enormous diagonal spiral staircases are a symbolic step up to the movement and dynamics in his works. They immediately capture your attention and literally and figuratively cause you to look up. This is a trick that Rubens himself often made use of in his own work.  

The hundreds of books he stored in this place were unimaginable. Even in the eyes of the people who designed the building. It has been interpreted as a sort of giant bookshelf, each level of which is crammed full of reading matter. Each one has a different approach. From the shop on the ground floor to the library two floors up.