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Rubens House wins Europa Nostra Award

The 2020 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards saw the Rubens House honoured with one of the world’s most renowned heritage prizes for the restoration of its portico and garden pavilion. The Rubens House was one of 21 heritage institutions to be recognized. The jury commended not only the restoration of these features – the only remaining architectural elements by Rubens himself – but also the design and the installation of the glass canopy.

Report of the jury

The restoration of the portico and the garden pavilion at the Rubens House was announced as one of the winners in the ‘Conservation’ category of the ‘2020 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards’. Together with twenty-one prize-winners from 15 European countries in six different categories the Rubens House was recognized for this year’s awards. The restored portico and garden pavilion won in the most sought-after category, together with other institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest (Hungary) and the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L’Aquila (Italy).

The jury commended not only the restoration of these features – the only remaining architectural elements by Rubens himself – but also the design and the installation of the glass canopy. The Rubens House is honoured to receive this international award. The museum worked for several years with numerous experts to prepare for the restoration of the portico and garden pavilion, before meticulously carrying out the works. The results of the restoration are stunning, further highlighting Rubens’ architectural skills. The ‘2020 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards’ pay tribute to this long-term project and recognize the highly skilled and patient work of the conservators.

 

Online talk with Ben van Beneden

Director Ben van Beneden talks about the restoration of the portico and garden pavilion. In 15 minutes he takes you on a journey of 400 years through time. His story starts with the restoration of the Rubens House in 1939 and makes a few detours to the 17th century.

"No botox, no fillers, no repairs, no false nose, no false ears. No, keep the original material as much as possible."