If you could have dinner with any artist—living or dead—who would you choose? The director of the Prado Museum, Miguel Falomir, doesn't think twice: "I would choose Rubens, clearly. I don't like cursed painters. He was a happy man; he married twice and he did so in love. He was cultured, enjoyed art, and lived with the joy that his own lives exude." Specifically, the new exhibition at the CaixaForum in Barcelona, ​​​​titled Rubens and the artists of the Flemish Baroque, captures this "way of being in life and in the world" of the Flemish painter. Courtier and diplomat, Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen, 1577 - Antwerp, 1640) left behind fundamental works for the history of art. Some, such as The Immaculate Conception (1628-1629) and The Judgment of Paris (1638) can be seen at the CaixaForum until September 21, in an exhibition consisting of around sixty pieces from the Prado's collections, around fifteen of which have been restored for the occasion. "of those who had talent." Following in the footsteps of this attitude, the exhibition includes works by the painter, but also by his contemporaries and disciples, some of whom became mainstays of the Flemish Baroque, such as Anton van Dyck, Jacob Jordaens, and Jan Brueghel the Elder. The King's retail from the Trasta workshop painter welcomes you to the exhibition. "It was his nerve center and evoked a way of working," explains the exhibition's curator, José Juan Pérez Preciado.

There 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.