Novelist Jeroen Olyslaegers follows in Rubens’ footsteps through Europe
Author Jeroen Olyslaegers has set off from Antwerp on a European tour in the footsteps of Baroque master Pieter Paul Rubens. Along the way, he will write his first work of non-fiction.
The starting point on Wednesday was the Snijders&Rockoxhuis art museum, the home of Rubens’ close friend and patron Nicolaas Rockox in the 17th century.
During his journey, Olyslaegers will “open himself up for the first time”. “Unlike in the past, I will be focusing more on myself rather than on characters during this writing process,” he says. Nevertheless, the travelogue in diary form will primarily deal with art, specifically the art of Rubens.
“I want to write a book about his paintings, but without looking at photographs,” he says. “My father taught me that you shouldn’t say anything about a painting if you’ve never stood in front of it yourself.”
Olyslaegers set off by electric coach and will travel east by train. He will travel through Europe to the major cities and museums connected with Rubens’ life, following the artistic and political centres that shaped the Baroque era.
The results will be compiled in 2027, the 450th anniversary of Rubens’ death. The book is intended to combine historical research with travelogues and cultural reflection, and, according to Olyslaegers, there may be a political dimension as well. “Rubens was not only a painter but also a diplomat and an intellectual,” he says. “By following in his footsteps across Europe, I hope to rediscover the man behind the myth.”
The journey takes him first to Italy, where he will visit Venice, Mantua, Florence, Genoa, Rome and Milan. Afterwards, he heads north towards Vienna, Munich and Cologne, before visiting Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Braunschweig, The Hague, Dresden and London.
#FlandersNewsService | © Author Jeroen Olyslaegers in Antwerp ahead of his departure on a European journey tracing the life and legacy of Peter Paul Rubens, 8 April 2026 © BELGA PHOTO ROBBE VANDEGEHUCHTE
Related news
