Dinner in the garden

Dinner in one of Antwerp’s most beautiful gardens? Yes please. We will serve an exclusive three-course menu in the middle of Rubens’ green city oasis. Expect warm flavours, an intimate atmosphere and summery vibes.

A separate ticket is required for the dinner, including access to The Cabinet Sessions.

Rubens’ Reverie

Pjotr Durlet and Elise Bauwens dive into the rich archive Peter Paul Rubens left behind. Using this material, they create a contemporary reflection on how Antwerp has evolved and how Rubens’ work relates to the city today. Combined with soft beats and immersive melodies, they ask: what if Rubens were wandering through Antwerp as an artist today? How peacefully would he still rest in his garden?

Lie down beside him, beside us, and let yourself be carried back to a summer evening in 1620 as if it were 2026.

Elise Bauwens and Pjotr Durlet are Antwerp-based artists working at the intersection of poetry, theatre and music. Their practice explores vulnerability, connection and the tensions between language, performance and techno.

Mini lecture on a new acquisition: a rare drawing and letter by Rubens

Temporarily on display in the Rubens Experience is a newly acquired artwork from Rubens’ Italian period. Confidence radiates from this double-sided sheet dating from 1607. Rubens likely sketched three apostles in a spontaneous burst of inspiration. On the reverse side, he drafted a letter to a fellow artist working on a painting for Duchess Eleonora de’ Medici. At the time, Rubens was based in Rome, advising the duchess and overseeing artistic commissions.

Curator An Van Camp explains why the combination of an original drawing and handwritten letter by Rubens on a single sheet is so unique.

Also on the packed programme: a creative gelliplate workshop inspired by the shapes and details of the Rubens House, Rubens storytellers guiding you through the garden and library, and fresh pizzas, drinks and summery beats echoing through the Rubens House late into the evening.

About curator B Classic

Each year, the Rubens House entrusts the key to its cabinet to an inspiring curator. Also in 2026, B Classic welcomes audiences into its artistic world.
B-Classic fosters encounters between artists, genres and audiences. It opens up classical music and explores how music, both past and present, is created and experienced.
B Classic supports artists and creators with an open mind, offering them space to create, experiment and present.