Palazzo Rubens. The Master as Architect

The Rubens House is mounting a unique and exquisite exhibition in the autumn of 2011 about Peter Paul Rubens as architect, a relatively unkown facet of this versatile artist, who was an authority on ancient and contemporary Italian architecture. A scoop!
The fact that Rubens was a connoisseur of architecture is, however, clear from his paintings. But he was additionally involved in high-profile Antwerp projects, like the extension of his spacious studio-residence and possibly also the building of the present-day St. Charles Borromeus church, considered by his contemporaries as 'the eighth wonder of the world'. Rubens found inspiration in painter-architects such as Michelangelo and Giulio Romano and in Italian books devoted to architecture.
Palazzo Rubens. The master as architect shows some fifty items on loan from major international museums. Some of the works of art from lesser-known collections have never before been on show to the general public.