AGO Live: Early Rubens in-gallery harpsichord performances

The AGO invited The Canadian composer and musician Owen Pallet to arrange music to be performed in Early Rubens. Inspired by the power of Ruben's religious paintings to spiritually uplift the viewer, Pallett's compositions, in his works, evoke "the concept of the infinite - a sense of spiritual vertigo."

Early Rubens

AGO Next is a dynamic membership program for art lovers under 40. AGO Next events are for AGO Next members only. Find out more about this membership program.

Exclusive | Early Rubens

Early Rubens explores one of the most influential artists in Western art history. It focuses on Rubens’ early work following his return from Italy to his hometown of Antwerp, and his rise to international prominence. This exhibition celebrates Rubens at his most exuberant, and showcases the bold and theatrical style for which he was renowned. The centrepiece of the exhibition is the AGO’s magnificent Massacre of the Innocents, one of the artist’s crowning achievements.

Rubens the Intermedial Artist

Join art historian Evonne Levy for a talk that explores how Rubens, like all artists of his time, moved nimbly between media –  his practice as a painter was a highly intermedial practice, moving constantly between media, and involving many difficult to articulate skills in order to do so. This lecture offers a media perspective on the exhibition, including  works in drawing and print, and sketches and full-scale paintings in oil.

Study Day: Rubens 101

Join us for an afternoon of everything Rubens. Begin with a talk introducing the Baroque and Rubens’s masterpieces, try life drawing in the studio, and cap the afternoon off with a complimentary drink and tapas in AGO Bistro.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Directed by Robert Aldrich 1962, 2h, 34 min.

Inspired by the dramatic narratives in Early Rubens, we bring you the biggest, best, endless battle and tunic-filled, pre-CGI epics from across the ages.

Samson and Delilah

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille 1949, 2h, 11 min.

Inspired by the dramatic narratives in Early Rubens, we bring you the biggest, best, endless battle and tunic-filled, pre-CGI epics from across the ages.

Clash of the Titans

Directed by Desmond Davis 1981, 1h, 58 min.

Inspired by the dramatic narratives in Early Rubens, we bring you the biggest, best, endless battle and tunic-filled, pre-CGI epics from across the ages.

Mythology Mixology: Rubens and the Art of Storytelling

Join art historian Dr. Corrinne Chong for a talk exploring mythology in the riveting and dynamic early works of Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). Themes will address the Baroque master's synthesis of his inventive use of his literary sources with his bold pictorial style.

AGO Live: Songs of Heaven

A divinely inspired mash up, Songs of Heaven puts a contemporary spin on the centuries old tradition of antiphonal (call and response) choral singing, in celebration of the opening of Early Rubens. Commissioned by the AGO and performed by the Choir of St.

Subscribe to Early Rubens
Be the first to find out about AGO exhibitions and events, get the behind-the-scenes scoop, and book tickets before your visit.
Sign up to get AGO news right to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.