Rubens – Sensuality in Times of War
The superstar of the Baroque in a new light
Rubens was a successful entrepreneur, a respected diplomat and a gifted painter. His vibrant, sensual works quickly became coveted status symbols among aristocrats all over Europe. Nils Büttner paints a multifaceted portrait of the great master and reveals lesser-known aspects of the artist’s life and personality: Rubens as an enthusiastic horse lover, an advocate of a largely vegetarian diet, a devoted husband whose much younger second wife embodied the glamour of her age and a man who, amid the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, longed above all for peace.
Combining vivid storytelling with fresh insights into Rubens’ world, this book paints a magnificent panorama of 17th-century Europe and offers a new perspective on one of the most dazzling personalities of the Baroque era.
- On the occasion of Rubens’ 450th birthday in June 2027
- A compelling biography of Peter Paul Rubens bringing together art, politics and everyday life in early modern Europe
- By the world-renowned Rubens expert Prof. Nils Büttner
Prof. Dr. Nils Büttner
Nils Büttner, born in Bremen in 1967, is professor of Art History at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart and co-editor of the ‘Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard’, the catalogue raisonné of Peter Paul Rubens. He has been chairman of the Centrum Rubenianum in Antwerp since 2021 and was appointed foreign member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium in 2024.
.jpg?ts=1771941906 "Prof. Dr. Nils Büttner")