The first book (and exhibition) ever to present a focused study on Rubens’ depictions of women, with an exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery that will run from October 2023 to January 2024This will challenge the popular assumption that Rubens only painted one type of womanInstead, it will show the ...

The first book (and exhibition) ever to present a focused study on Rubens’ depictions of women, with an exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery that will run from October 2023 to January 2024This will challenge the popular assumption that Rubens only painted one type of womanInstead, it will show the varied and essential role that women played in the artist’s life and workA 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, friendIncludes 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 bodyFeaturing beautiful illustrations of artworks from international and private collections, many of which will be appearing in the UK for the first time in 2023Provides 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.