Martin Gayford

Rubens and His Legacy at the Royal Academy reviewed: his imitators fall short of their master miserably

And there are too few truly exceptional pieces from the Flemish master for this show to shine

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  • Rubens and His Legacy: Van Dyck to Cézanne

    Royal Academy, until 10 April

The main spring offering at the Royal Academy, Rubens and His Legacy: Van Dyck to Cézanne, teaches two useful lessons. One — not much of a surprise — is that Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) was a protean giant of a painter, expending sufficient artistic invention and energy to power other artists for centuries to come.

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