A rare and limited-time opportunity to see iconic work by Peter
Paul Rubens at the AGO
Toronto — On loan from the National Gallery in London, Peter
Paul Rubens’s Samson and Delilah is on view for a
limited time at the Art Gallery of Ontario exhibited alongside
The Massacre of the Innocents from the Thomson Collection.
Visitors are encouraged to take in the masterpiece before it leaves
in April.
Rubens (1577–1640) was one of the most influential European artists
in the 17th century. Samson and Delilah and
The Massacre of the Innocents are iconic works from Rubens’s
early period. AGO visitors have the rare opportunity to see these
two works, which had previously hung together for 200 years in the
Prince of Liechtenstein’s private collection before being separated
in the 1880s.
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Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Samson and Delilah, c. 1609-10
Oil on panel, 185 x 205 cm (73 x 81 ins)
© National Gallery, London
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"Samson and Delilah creates a context for understanding
The Massacre," says Dennis Reid, Director of Collections
and Research at the AGO. "It’s a wonderful chance to see two early
Rubens masterpieces side by side."
Similar elements within the two works create a compelling viewing
experience. Delilah reappears as the focal female figure wearing
the same costume in The Massacre, while Samson is
mirrored in The Massacre’s soldier with sword.
Samson and Delilah is based on an episode from the Old Testament
(Judges 16) in which Samson falls in love with Delilah and shares
with her the secret of his strength – his hair. The painting depicts
the moment when Delilah succumbs to bribery and allows the Philistines
to cut Samson’s hair and capture him. An elderly woman provides
extra light, while the Philistines gather in the doorway to watch
the deed take place. Visible in the background is a statue of Venus,
the goddess of love, with her son Cupid – a reference to the cause
of Samson’s fate.
The gallery includes another early Rubens painting, The Entombment
(1612–1614) – which is on loan from the National Gallery of Canada
until April 2009 – and a collection of drawings of six anatomical
studies dating from 1600 to 1610. There is also a drawing by Michelangelo,
Studies of a Left Thigh and a Knee, a Right Knee, and a Right
Foot, which when seen alongside Rubens’s work provides the viewer
with insight into the artist’s inspiration.
With a permanent collection of more than 73,000 works of art, the
Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums
in North America. The Gallery began an extraordinary chapter when
it launched Transformation AGO in 2002. Designed by the internationally
celebrated architect Frank Gehry, the transformed AGO has 4,000
works of art from around the world on display in 110 breathtaking,
light-filled galleries. As the imaginative centre of the city, the
Gallery dramatically enriches visitors’ experiences and provides
greater access to the vibrancy of the art museum.
AGO Hours of Operation:
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 10 am to 5:30 pm
Wednesday and Thursday: 10 am to 8:30 pm
Admission:
Adult – $18
Senior (65 and over) – $15
Student (full-time with valid ID) – $10
Youth (ages 6–12) – $10
Children (5 and under with adult) – FREE
Members – FREE
Free general admission for Ontario high school students, aged 13–18,
with valid school ID from Tuesday to Friday, 3:30 to 5:30 pm.
For more information on AGO hours, admission and membership, please
visit www.ago.net
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