Rubens & Women

Book Synopsis: • The first book (and exhibition) ever to present a focused study on Rubens’ depictions of women. The exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery will run from October 2023 to January 2024.

• This will challenge the popular assumption that Rubens only painted one type of woman. Instead it will show the varied and essential role that women played in the artist's life and work.

• A chance for readers to get to know the real man behind some of his most famous works - we meet not only Rubens the artist, but Rubens the father, husband, lover, diplomat, friend.

• Includes the latest scholarly developments in subjects such as the identities of Rubens' sitters, 17th century artistic theory and practice, and Rubens' treatment of the human body.

• Featuring beautiful illustrations of artworks from international and private collections, many of which will be appearing in the UK for the first time in 2023.

• Provides a complete catalogue for works in this groundbreaking accompanying exhibition, as well as contextual essays that raise current debates around sexuality, power and feminism.

The art of Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) is synonymous with the female nude, with the term ‘Rubenesque’ first coined in the 19th century to describe a voluptuous female body. Yet remarkably, there has never been a focused study of Rubens’ depictions of women, making this book, and the exhibition that it will accompany, a first. Bringing together a diverse range of paintings and drawings from throughout the artist’s career and from a range of international lenders, the exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery (October 2023 – January 2024) will challenge the popular assumption that Rubens only painted one type of woman. Instead, it will present a more nuanced view of the varied and essential role that women played in the artist’s life and work, uniting and contributing to recent scholarly developments in subjects such as the identities of Rubens’ sitters, 17th century artistic theory and practice, and Rubens’ treatment of the human body. Rubens evidently enjoyed painting the female figure, especially in its sensual and unclothed form. But his women are never mere bodies trapped by the male gaze, on the contrary; they are proud and complex heroines, full of character and gravitas. No other male artist has created such potent images of female power, assurance, determination, commitment, and beauty. Providing a catalogue for the works in the exhibition and featuring three introductory essays that contextualize Rubens’ work, this publication will both contribute to the existing corpus of scholarly literature on Rubens and introduce his masterpieces to new audiences, discussing them in the context of current debates around sexuality, power and feminism.