The National Museum of Korea is proud to present the special exhibition Paintings, Sculptures and Objects of the Prince of Liechtenstein: Rubens and Other Masters.

 

One of the most important royal museums in Europe, Liechtenstein the Princely Collections contains a diverse range of masterpieces from different eras—from the Renaissance to the Baroque and Biedermeier periods—highlighted by the world’s foremost collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens. This exhibition features about 120 selected works of various media, including paintings, sculptures, crafts, prints, and tapestries. Most significantly, for the first time in Korea, visitors can see numerous representative works by famous Flemish masters, such as Rubens, Anthonis van Dyck, Pieter Brueghel the Younger and Jan Brueghel the Elder. Featured works by the contemporary Dutch painters and Italian Baroque artists will be shown side-by-side, allowing visitors the unique opportunity to directly compare the divergent styles of these artists from multiple perspectives.

 

In particular, this exhibition spotlights the works of Rubens, hailed as the “painter of princes and prince of painters,” and his contemporaries. These masters were active around the seventeenth century, when all the powers of Europe were seeking to expand governmental power in the midst of various religious and political conflicts. At the same time, the brisk development of commerce and trade led to the emergence of a new bourgeois class. The remarkable works presented in this exhibition allow visitors to directly experience this bygone era. This exhibition will enlighten and enchant our visitors, while deepening their understanding of Western history, culture, and arts.