CaixaForum Barcelona presents 62 Flemish Baroque works, including Rubens 

CaixaForum Barcelona premieres their new exhibition 'Rubens and the Artists of the Flemish Baroque,' exploring Peter Paul Rubens and other 17th century painters.

The collaboration between La Caixa Foundation and Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid showcases 62 works.

The exhibition also includes works from other Baroque artists like Anthony Van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens, and Pieter Brueghel the Elder. 

Rubens is considered a cornerstone of European Baroque art. The Flemish Baroque style is known for being expressive, lively, and full of movement. Rubens' paintings often show dramatic scenes from mythology or religion with strong colors and emotional figures.  

Rubens spoke several languages, including Spanish, and worked for various kings and queens across Europe. His studio in Antwerp became famous, and the exhibition begins with a small recreation of what his workshop might have looked like.  

The exhibition is not arranged by year, but by themes. Visitors can explore different topics showing daily life in 17th-century Flanders. Spain has a strong historical link with Flanders, which was once ruled by the Spanish crown. Rubens himself worked in Spain and influenced Spanish artists of his time.  

"The exhibition aims to show the richness and variety of artistic creation not only through paintings, but also through engravings, drawings, books, and other objects," explained Prado's specialist in Flemish painting, José Juan Pérez Preciado 

Speaking to the Catalan News Agency (ACN), Pérez Preciado also explained that the exhibition approaches the themes and "aesthetic values" that the Flemish Baroque wanted to show, including passion and movement, through the works of one of its main exponents, Rubens. 

One of the highlights is the section on still lifes and animal paintings, a very popular genre in Flemish art. These paintings show detailed food scenes, hunting scenes, and animals.  

'Rubens and the Artists of the Flemish Baroque' is open at CaixaForum Barcelona until September 21, 2025.