The Rubenshuis or Rubens House in Antwerp is being renovated and this renovation is a long journey until 2030. In the mean time, a Rubens Experience, the Baroque Garden and the Library or Rubenanium.  

This partial reopening occurred on 30 August 2024. I visited a few weeks later. 

The Rubens Experience

“Ready for an unforgettable journey through time? In this underground studio, modern-day technology will cast you back to Europe as it was back then. Thanks to an audiovisual show, interactive tools and his splendid self-portrait, you will have an opportunity to dig through the life and works of Peter Paul Rubens.”

“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 …”

The Garden

“Look, smell and wander. Through wild columbine, marigolds, citrus plants and fig trees. But also medlar trees, black oaks, evergreen magnolias and Kentucky coffee trees. Step into Rubens’s garden and you will be overcome by the 17,500 plants, trees, shrubs and flower bulbs. Take time to breathe, just as Rubens himself did when he came into this patch of greenery in between painting commissions and as a break from everyday life.”

“If you zoom in on Rubens’s painting ​​‘The Walk in the Garden’, you will undoubtedly recognise a few key elements. In this garden, housemaids, gardeners and apprentices would cross paths during their busy everyday activities and it was here that Rubens would chat with Isabella Brandt and Helena Fourment, would play ​​with his growing ​​children and ​​would welcome artists and important guests for an informal chat with the scent of exotic orange and lime trees in their nostrils. Yes, Rubens was a trendsetter and planted the seed that grew into the walking meeting that we know today.”

“Today, thanks to a design by Ars Horti, the garden once again looks as colorful as it did back then. Among the plants it contains you will find lilies of the valley, quinces, dogtooth violets, tulips, bergamot and bay trees. After an extensive study of hundreds of archived documents, floral still-lives and gardeners’ handbooks, Rubens’s garden has now been brought back to life. Even a few written sources – such as a handwritten letter from Rubens himself – set the gardeners of today on the right track. ​​Rubens was absolutely in love with his garden. And that is the feeling we are now bringing back. ”

“​​​Thanks to the colour advice from the fashion designer Dries Van Noten, each season brings with it a new set of colours. In spring, you can admire the fiery flamed tulips. In summer, the Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist) flowers provide a wealth of colour. In the autumn, ground-covering plants such as cyclamen are the true workhorses. And in winter, you can enjoy the striking green of the shrubs. In this open-air part of the museum,​​ you can wander from one story about Rubens to another. Go out there and find out for yourself.”

The Library

“For decades, researchers, students and heritage fans have found their way to the world-famous collection about Rubens and other masters of Flemish art. With hundreds of thousands of publications, rare books, artwork documentation and archival documents, this is where fiction meets reality. And where interest turns into inspiration.”  

“Rubens had a private library with as many as five hundred titles. He would read until deep in the night, expanding his insight into people and society. Scrolling through his world wide web of paper. A passion that he shared with his son Albert. And now with you. Because in exactly the same spot is where you too will start your look inside his artistic legacy and that of his fellow artists at that time.  

“Who was Peter Paul Rubens anyway? What was his status in life? And how did he treat women? Was he a player? If he were alive nowadays, would he join the MeToo movement? Did he ever consider the wellbeing of his staff? And was he open to ideas from his pupils? Add to the story and visit the library to do some research of your own! Rummage around in the past by referring to paintings, letters, books and other archived documents.  “

“Is the name Rubens on it or inside it? If so, you will find it here. Long, open racks bring together all relevant publications about the life and work of the artist. Older and more fragile books have been given a place in repositories, where they are ranked by size and stored in accordance with the climatological rules of the art. Like to go searching in the notes of other art historians? If so, be sure to consult the research archives.”   

“Other Flemish and European artists from Rubens’s time also form part of the collection. Monographs, catalogues of art dealers and auctions, exhibition publications, newspaper articles and magazines: you name it and it is here. Whether it’s recent or already centuries old. Each year, the collection is expanding thanks to new acquisitions and items donated by authors, museums and private individuals. ”  

“Searching for specific publications for research or study purposes? If so, reserve the items you need in advance and we will have them ready for you. But take your time and make sure you get to discover everything the library has to offer. Dive into what’s available and take a seat in one of our study spaces. From there, you will have a great view of the garden and the residence. You’ll need to stay on topic, because your imagination will soon run away with itself.  “

“Long before the Swifties, there were the Rubies: die-hard fans who collected everything that had to do with the life and work of Rubens. Take the German art historian Ludwig Burchard, for example. He put together a huge collection of documentation about Rubens. A man with a mission: to write a catalogue of works about the painter. After his death in 1960, the City of Antwerp looked after the rich archive he left behind. Since then, experts from around the world have continued his life’s work and have brought together Rubens oeuvre in an immense catalogue known as the Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard. The last of 46 publications may well become available this year. The Burchard collection forms a firm foundation for the research collections in the library at the Rubenshuis.”

A visit

No, I did not visit the Library. But it’s freely accessible so that will be a  next time.

The Ruben Experience is shortish presentation in Dutch or English. The presentation recounts Rubens’ life and career. The Experience in the cellar is quite good and interactive and aims at getting everyone interested.

To be honest, it’s a bit meager without a proper visit of the mansion. But we have to wait until 2030 for that.

The garden on the other hand is nice and pretty and very photogenic.

All in all, the partial reopening is here to keep us busy and wanting more. When the renovated Rubens House will be really reopened, it will all fit. 

Art and museums in Antwerp

• ENSOR YEAR 2024 IN ANTWERP | 4 top exhibitions from 28 September at KMSKA, FOMU, MoMu and Museum Plantin-Moretus.
• ANTWERP | ‘To the Antarctic. The polar pioneers of the Belgica’ exhibition at Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS).
• Antwerp will have a new Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp M HKA.
• ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
• FOMU 2024 | Antwerp photography museum ft. Dirk Braeckman, ‘RE/SISTERS’ and Nick Geboers.
• A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
• REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
• Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
• Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
• 2024 at Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp (KMSKA): Rubens, James Ensor, Jules Schmalzigaug and many more.
• 2024 at the museums of Antwerp ft. Ensor Year.
• ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
• Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
• BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
• Red Star Line Museum.
• Paleis op de Meir. 
• DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
• ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.