The Touch of Pygmalion. Rubens and Sculpture in Rome

This temporary exhibition at Galleria Borghese in Rome brings together paintings, drawings, and sculptures to illuminate the deep dialogue between Peter Paul Rubens and the sculptural tradition he encountered in Rome at the turn of the 17th century.

The title evokes the myth of Pygmalion — the sculptor who breathed life into stone — as a metaphor for Rubens's extraordinary ability to translate the cold stillness of marble and bronze into vibrant, flesh-and-blood figures on canvas. During his Italian sojourn (1600–1608), Rubens studied, copied, and reinterpreted works by ancient masters as well as by Michelangelo, drawing energy and anatomical mastery from the sculptural world around him.

The exhibition traces this creative exchange, placing Rubens's works in direct conversation with the antique and Renaissance sculptures that inspired them, many of which are held in the Borghese collection itself. The result is a rare opportunity to witness how one of the greatest painters of the Baroque era was shaped by the tactile, three-dimensional art of sculpture.