Rubens & Women, Dulwich Picture Gallery, review
The Prado, the Uffizi, the Royal Collection, the Rubenshuis, the Dulwich Picture Gallery (among a few), all have one thing in common at the moment. What you may ask? They all have some of their magnificent Rubens paintings on display at the latter for the beautiful Rubens & Women exhibition.
We all know this famous Flemish artist’s brushworks, his masterpieces, but do we know who inspired him, where he found inspiration? We are all familiar with his plump, sensuous mythical blondes, and we have seen the delicate, soul-piercing women in his other drawings and paintings, but where did he find all his inspiration? What lies behind his marvellous creations? Real women in his life, statues? How did he come to leave us with his masterpieces on paper, canvas and altarpieces?
With over 40 magnificent drawings and paintings (some never before seen in the UK), this exhibition challenges the above questions and aims to provide proof of who inspired him, how he worked, and also tries to redefine the term Rubenesque.
The exhibition also elegantly showcases his deep appreciation for the women in his life: his wives, those he painted, and the imagined women he created for his masterpieces. He painted them all with so much love and affection, and it is so palpable. You will get to stand in front of beautiful, jaw dropping masterpieces, and you will, for yourself, discover these answers and oh what a joy that is. An absolutely wonderful exhibition!
Date: 27 September 2023 - 28 January 2024. Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-3pm. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London, SE10 7AD. Price: from £16.50, concessions available. Book now.
Words by Massoumeh Safinia
Pitchfork Music Festival · Fireworks · Christmas Light Switch-on events · Voila! Theatre Festival · Canary Wharf Ice Rink · Picasso: Printmaker · Louis Blue Newby & Laila Majid: Inner Heat · Spirit of Lagos by Abi Morocco Photos · Urban Adventure Challenge · Unreported Uprisings by Inès Elsa Dalal…
EFG London Jazz Festival · Fireworks Displays in London · Skate at Somerset House · Chelsea Barracks Winter Fair · The 80s: Photographing Britain · Pitchfork Festival · 30 Years of Bugged Out! · Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair · Christmas at Kew · Christmas Lights in London · Winter Market Southbank Centre · Hacienda Sounds · Winter Light Festival · Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael: Florence, c. 1504 · Eva Recacha: The Picnic · Chunky Move: 4/4 · The Royal Opera: Hansel and Gretel
Claudette Johnson’s ‘Three Women’ mural, inspired by her earlier work and Picasso, celebrates the Black female experience while contributing to the station’s public art initiative.
Melek Zeynep Bulut’s Duo at the Painted Hall · An Evening with Fran Lebowitz · Celebrate Diwali with Rav & Tarunima · Fireworks displays in London · Víkingur Ólafsson & Yuja Wang: Two Pianos · Winter Market at the Southbank · Día de los Muertos with Disciples · Ekow Eshun: The Strangers · Preview: Blitz by Steve McQueen · Farah Atassi: The Lost Hours · Claudette Johnson: Three Women · Halloween with LEGO at Battersea Power Station
PATRÓN Tequila presents a month-long celebration featuring top DJs, signature cocktails, and vibrant Mexican food across London’s trendiest venues.
Frieze London came with much anticipation (and hesitation) this year…not least because of gloomy market outlooks. But the mood was cheery, and the crowd was buzzing…
Directed by Patrick Marber, who won a Tony Award in 2023 for Leopoldstadt, an exploration of Viennese Jewish history, the play features familiar TV faces and delivers an entertaining yet serious comedy that tackles weighty issue…
Frieze Sculpture · Halloween at Kew · Jan de Vylder and Inge Vinck · Gin and Jazz at Artesian Bar · LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair · London Literature Festival · Mahler 2 · Jordan Stephens · The Apprentice · Lift 109 Sound Bath · The World of Tim Burton · Francis Bacon · UMBRA · Making a rukus! · Oscar Murillo · Kioku Bar · Action for Happiness
Discover fifteen locations in London where you can enjoy the celebrations on the weekends before and after and the official Bonfire Night itself.
Captain Morgan and Pepsi MAX are celebrating their new pre-mixed drink with a two-day immersive in Shoreditch on 23 and 24 October 2024.…
In partnership with Penguin Books, Canary Wharf Group celebrates Black History Month by offering free, accessible literature from a diverse range of Black authors.
Leap Year explores Yang’s multifaceted, interdisciplinary, and inventive practice from the early 2000s to today, featuring key works from some of her most notable series…
12th edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2024 at Somerset House, London review…
Goodbye Horses is an excellent neighbourhood wine bar, offering a memorable combination of delicious food, great wine, and a lively atmosphere.
London Cocktail Week · Esther Mahlangu: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu · My English Persian Kitchen · Decorative Art Fair · András Schiff: Haydn, Schubert & Mozart · Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland · Barter and Bazaar: The Journey of Exchange · Nicola L. · Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit · Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation…
Frieze London and Frieze Masters · Halloween at Kew Gardens · BFI London Film Festival · LAPADA · London Literature Festival · Princess Essex at Shakespeare’s Globe · Fabric at 25 · András Schiff: Haydn, Schubert & Mozart · London Cocktail Week · Wildlife Photographer of the Year…
Eugene Onegin, The Royal Opera · British Art Fair 2024 · Rasheed Araeen’s Discosailing: A Ballet on Water · Edward Gardner Conducts Rachmaninov · Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Royal Ballet · Debenhams Exclusive One-Day Luxury Pop-Up Spa · Free Pizza from Yard Sale Pizza · Chelsea History Festival · Friday Late: Fashioning Futures · Christie’s Late: Voices of Black Artistry · Yayoi Kusama….
Bermondsey Street Festival · Frieze Sculpture 2024 · London Design Festival 2024 · Future of Food Festival · Ara Malikian · Totally Thames 2024 · La traviata, The Royal Opera · Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION · Michael Craig-Martin · Yelena Popova: Of Dust and Breath · Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears · Lap-See Lam · Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end · Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers · Eva Rothschild · …
Slice teams up with Yard Sale Pizza for free Pizza on the 24 September at their Hackney Road Store….
The exhibition ‘MARY MARY’ will feature sculptures by nine women artists on the roof terrace above Temple tube station from October 2024 to September 2025…
Hayu FanFest will make its debut in London on 26 October, featuring exclusive panels, star-studded meet-and-greets, and a special appearance by Andy Cohen…
London's bustling art week returns next month, with Frieze London and Frieze Masters launching at The Regent's Park from 9 to 13 October 2024. During this time, several other art fairs will also be taking place across the city…
Queen’s Park is set to bid farewell to summer with a vibrant street party on Lonsdale Road, scheduled for Friday, 13th September, from 4-10pm. This exciting event will unite the local community with a lively set by Hed Kandi DJ John Jones …
London Podcast Festival 2024 · Birkenstock 250th Anniversary Exhibition · Rolf Hind: Sky in a Small Cage · Totally Thames 2024 · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival 2024 · Cornelius + Ichiko Aoba · The Marriage of Figaro, The Royal Opera · Rooftop Book Club · The Vinyl Factory: REVERB · Ernest Cole: House of Bondage · Roger Mayne: Youth …