Information from the museum, 11 October 2010
The Sinebrychoff Art Museum’s main autumn exhibition presents Flemish masters from the collections of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. The museum, celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, is renowned particularly for its Flemish Primitives, Peter Paul Rubens and other Baroque masters. The exhibition comprises a total of 45 works dating from the 16th to the 18th century as well as 15 prints by Peter Paul Rubens. In addition to Rubens, among the masters featured are Quinten Massys, Jan Brueghel, Jan Gossaert, Abraham Govaerts, Jacob Jordaens, David Teniers the Younger and Franciscus Gijsbrechts. The exhibition offers an opportunity to see works by not only the well-known masters but also those that are more seldom seen in Finland.
Antwerp in northern Belgium became a busy centre of trade in the early middle ages thanks to its harbour. The best-known of the Flemish 15th century masters was Jan Van Eyck, who is said to have invented oil painting. Antwerp was among the most affluent cities in 16th century Europe, and both luxury goods and the best artists of Europe found their way there. In the 17th century, the great reputation of Antwerp was largely founded on the atelier of Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens were Antwerp’s greatest Baroque painters. Rubens had the savvy to use prints in making his art known. He employed the best carvers of the time in his atelier to create reproductions of his paintings. The Rubens House, the artist’s former residence, in Antwerp is currently a popular museum.