The Picture Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest Restored
September 9 2021
Picture: Rubenshuis
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
CODART have published an article on the recent restoration of the Rubenshuis's The Picture Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest by Willem van Haecht (II). Although the picture was last restored in 2009, the unstable panel had resulted in distracting cracks appearing along the paint surface. The work was restored by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) in Brussels.
The article also pays tribute to the outgoing Rubenshuis Director, Ben van Beneden, who has been in the position since 2010.
The article lists a brief selection of van Beneden's achievements in the role:
Together with his team, he developed several international exhibitions, including Rooms full of Art, Palazzo Rubens, and Rubens in private. His main priority, however, was the upgrade and enrichment of the collection and the artist’s residence. He drew attention to the urgent need for the restoration of the portico and garden pavilion – the original elements of the house, which were designed by Rubens himself. After several years of preparation, the project was successfully completed in 2019. The restoration and the protective glass butterfly awning met with international praise and appreciation. Van Beneden applied this same precision and boldness to the art collection, paving the way for the restoration of Rubens’s Self-Portrait, among others.
