Rubin's Europe was a temporary exhibition at the Louvre-Lens which took place in the temporary exhibitions gallery from May 22 to September 23, 2013, following the inaugural Renaissance exhibition. The exhibition brought together 170 works by Pierre Paul Rubens and his contemporaries, the majority of which were on loan from other museums.
Preparing the exhibition took just under two years of work. Many of the works involved come from major international museums.
It was open to the public for four months, with 127,956 visitors attended, a little over 20,000 less than the inaugural exhibition, which was open for three weeks less. The statistics in terms of visitors were described as a "success" and "a satisfactory result", although the word of journalists and specialists were mixed, even sometimes negative, though often celebrating the quality of the works. The entrance fee was nine euros, the reduced price was eight. Rubens' Europe was replaced by The Etruscans and the Mediterranean from December 5, 2013.
The Caisse d'Épargne Nord France Europe was a "major sponsor" of the exhibition. The Exhibition was curated by Blaise Ducos.[1]
Opening
The opening took place on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 in the afternoon, three hundred guests attending, including Daniel Percheron and Jean-Pierre Kucheida. As well as politicians, patrons or representatives of partner museums and lenders were present.[2]
Unlike the Renaissance exhibition, whose vast majority of works came from the Louvre, most of the works for Rubens' Europe came from other museums, including those of eight countries:
In total, there are fifty-three lenders, mostly museums, and some collectors. The works were in seven rooms: L'Europe des cours (rooms 1 and 2), Religious emotion and baroque faith (room No.3), Ephemeral monumentality (room No.4), Rubens, emulation and competition (room No .5), Rubens and the Republic of Letters (room No.6), and The Ways of Genius (room No.7).
Organization of the exhibit
1re salle : L'Europe des cours.
2e salle : L'Europe des cours.
3e salle : Émotion religieuse et foi baroque.
4e salle : Monumentalité éphémère.
5e salle : Rubens, émulation et concurrence.
6e salle : Rubens et la république des lettres.
7e salle : Les voies du génie.
Bibliography
Arnout Balis; Blaise Ducos; Jeroen Duindam; Marc Fumaroli; Paul Huvenne; David Jaffé; Corinne Thépaut-Cabasset (2013). L'Europe de Rubens (in French). Lens & Paris: Musée du Louvre-Lens & Éditions Hazan. ISBN978-2-36838-012-3.