Rubens and Van Dyck Works Leave Belgium After 400 Years

Fifteen monumental 17th-century paintings from the Sint-Pauluskerk (St. Paul’s Church) in Antwerp are leaving Belgium for the first time in four centuries. The masterpieces — created by Flemish Baroque giants including Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens — will travel to Het Noordbrabants Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, for a landmark exhibition running from July 11 to October 25, 2026.

A Historic Departure

The paintings form the “15 Mysteriën van de Rozenkrans” (15 Mysteries of the Rosary) cycle, commissioned around 1617 by the Brotherhood of the Holy Rosary for the north aisle of the Sint-Pauluskerk. For over 400 years, the works have hung approximately four meters high in the church, never leaving their original home — until now.

According to VRT NWS, the unprecedented loan is possible because the Sint-Pauluskerk is currently undergoing restoration. The church’s renovation has created a rare opportunity for these fragile panel paintings to travel abroad for the first time since they were installed in the early 17th century.

Masters of the Antwerp School

The cycle is a remarkable showcase of the Antwerp School of painting, with at least 11 different artists contributing individual scenes. Rubens painted The Scourging of Christ, donated by merchant Louis Clarisse in 1617. Van Dyck, then under 20 years old, contributed The Carrying of the Cross — one of his earliest known works, for which he received the same payment as Rubens and Jordaens, a testament to his exceptional early talent. Jordaens painted The Crucifixion, while other contributions came from Cornelis de Vos, David I Teniers, Hendrick van Balen, Frans Francken II, and others.

The Sint-Pauluskerk is the only place where works by Rubens, Van Dyck, and Jordaens can still be found in their original location, making this temporary relocation all the more significant.

A New Perspective at Eye Level

One of the most exciting aspects of the exhibition is that visitors will see these works at eye level for the first time. As Het Noordbrabants Museum notes, it “required quite well-trained neck and eye muscles to properly view the Flemish masterpieces in St. Paul’s Church.” The museum promises that viewers will discover details, emotions, and techniques previously impossible to appreciate from four meters below — from Rubens’ powerful brushstrokes to the young Van Dyck’s emerging talent.

Historical Bonds Between Antwerp and Den Bosch

The exhibition also highlights the deep historical connection between Antwerp and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. During the Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648), important religious art treasures from Den Bosch were temporarily safeguarded in Antwerp. Four centuries later, these Antwerp masterpieces make the reverse journey to North Brabant — a symbolic act of cultural reciprocity.

According to CODART, the international network for Dutch and Flemish art, the exhibition “aims to highlight the art-historical richness of the cycle, the connections between Antwerp and Brabant, and the opportunity to introduce the public to Baroque devotion and painting in an innovative way, making it a project of exceptional art-historical significance.”

Old Masters Meet Contemporary Art

The exhibition does not stop at the 17th century. Alongside the Baroque masterpieces, visitors will encounter contemporary works by Mona Hatoum, Latifa Echakhch, Maria Roosen, Geraldo Dos Santos, and Cecilia Vicuña. These modern pieces engage with the same universal themes — memory, ritual, loss, and connection — demonstrating the enduring relevance of the Rosary Cycle’s narratives.

What This Means for Cultural Heritage

This exhibition represents an unprecedented moment for Flemish cultural heritage. The Sint-Pauluskerk’s art collection, which also includes a Baroque Calvary garden and a historic organ, is one of Antwerp’s hidden treasures. The temporary departure of the 15 Mysteries cycle raises important questions about the future of church art: Will the restoration of the church be completed in time for the paintings’ return? Could this set a precedent for future loans from the Sint-Pauluskerk?

For now, art lovers have a once-in-four-centuries opportunity to see these masterpieces up close — in the Netherlands, at eye level, and in a completely new light.

The exhibition “15 Mysteriën van de rozenkrans” runs from July 11 to October 25, 2026, at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.