Unpacking a Rubens: A Treasure's Delicate Journey to Barcelona

BarcelonaThere are jobs that carry a lot of responsibility, but they are also a privilege. Alicia Peral, curator of the Prado Museum, defines her work as the institution's courier, that is, as one of the people in charge of accompanying works of art during transfers and ensuring they arrive safely. The Judgment of ParisRubens's painting arrived at the CaixaForum in Barcelona exactly as it left the Prado, and the painting was installed in the museum with the necessary conditions to ensure its good conservation. It was a five-day transfer that involved two large trucks, the sharp eyes of the conservator, and a door at the CaixaForum that had to be cut so that the work could enter directly into the room where it will be exhibited from May 29 to September 21, as part of the exhibition. Rubens and the artists of the Flemish Baroque.

The Judgment of Paris, one of Rubens's (Siegen, 1577 - Antwerp, 1640) magnum opuses, arrived in Barcelona last Friday. The painting traveled in a wooden box and protected with foam and polycarbonate plastic. The trailer transporting it has temperature and humidity detectors "that go off if there's any variation," says Peral. The artwork also traveled with an escort to ensure its safety and two drivers who took turns.

"One of the requirements for transport is that the pieces move as little as possible," explains the exhibition coordinator, Anna Penalba. The Judgment of Paris It measures two meters high and almost four meters wide. To meet the requirements and get it through the fastest route to the exhibition hall, the technicians had to squeeze the door of the CaixaForum that opens onto Calle de los Morabos.

The process of unpacking the work (the influencers they would call him unboxing and upload it to TikTok) is slow and requires care, patience, and precision. Peral oversaw a team of technicians sliding the latches and removing the lid while a small group of journalists observed the entire ritual. With the painting uncovered, the conservator followed every detail with a flashlight and compared it with a high-resolution photograph of the work to verify that it arrived in Barcelona safe and sound (a task that is well explained by the writer Marta Orriols). in his latest novel, On the other side of fear). "We rarely encounter surprises. If I detect something, I could carry out a specific intervention or consider other actions, depending on the magnitude. It's meticulous work," explains Peral. In return for this responsibility, he has the opportunity to enjoy the works as few others can: up close, for as long as he needs, and without the crowds of museum visitors.

Exhibited for the first time without the additions of Charles III

Rubens' painting, painted around 1638, depicts the outbreak of the Trojan War: the goddesses Venus, Juno, and Minerva argue over who is the most beautiful of the three, while Zeus appoints Paris to deliver a verdict. The work is one of the treasures of the Prado Museum, which had not been moved for more than ten years. The exhibition in Barcelona is even more special for showing the restored painting with some changes. "King Charles III was bothered by the nudity of the goddesses, and in the 18th century, he asked a court painter to partially cover their buttocks and pelvis with a handkerchief. Now we have been able to remove these additions and it can be seen just as Rubens painted it," notes Peral.

The restoration took nine months and also involved "removing the dirty varnish and restoring the depth of the blacks, because the painting was turning yellow," adds the conservator. Peral, along with other museum staff, has also been responsible for overseeing the transfer of 63 other pieces by the painter that will be part of the CaixaForum exhibition, reflecting Rubens's talent at its finest.