Otto van Veen's Strong Women: Not Amazons, but Spartans

Lecture by Gerlinde Gruber, Curator of Flemish Painting, Picture Gallery of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. 
Presentation & moderation by Katja Schmitz-von Ledebur, Director of the Imperial Treasury & Kunstkammer Vienna.

Under Sabine Haag, two panels by Rubens' teacher Otto van Veen were exhibited for the first time in the Picture Gallery as a permanent part of the permanent collection. The two paintings depict very rare or never before depicted themes that deal with strong women. For a long time, the unusual depictions of self-confidently exposing women puzzled their viewers. During the lecture, you will learn more about the alleged Amazons in Otto van Veen's painting Amazons and Scythians and what Gerlinde Gruber was able to discover thanks to her research on Ruben's Venus Festival.