Passion Rubens

17 February – 7 April 2024

The focus of this exhibition was a one-of-a-kind ‘birthday present’ in celebration of the eighth centenary of the city of Siegen: nothing less than an oil sketch by the city’s most famous son, Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), gifted to the Siegerlandmuseum and the city’s residents by the honorary citizen of Siegen, Barbara Lambrecht-Schadeberg. 

This work is a magnificent addition to the Rubens collection of the Siegerlandmuseum: nowhere does one get a more intimate view of the master’s personal style than in his sketches, which in their directness and spontaneity express his original creative ideas. 

What was the process of transforming the composition of an oil sketch into an engraving? And how much personal influence did the master have on the creation of prints and large-format oil paintings? This exhibition, consisting of outstanding works with scenes from the Passion of Christ, offered an invitation to explore such questions and to become more acquainted with the working methods of Peter Paul Rubens and his workshop.