UK places Export Bar on £8 million Rubens Painting

An export bar has been placed on an oil sketch by Flemish artist, Peter Paul Rubens, which is at risk of leaving the UK.

Rubens was an exceptionally successful painter and is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens was born in Siegen, Germany in 1577 and is mostly known for his vibrant style emphasising movement, colour, and sensuality. Some of his most famous paintings include The Elevation of the Cross and Judgement of Paris. 

Cimon Falling in love with Efigenia is a remarkable example of one of Rubens’ authentic oil sketches created entirely by his own hand.

Oil sketches by Rubens have been eagerly collected in the UK and there is a strong British connection to this piece, as George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham (1592–1628), was an admirer of his artistic talent and displayed works by Rubens in his home at York House. This included the finished painting of Cimon and Efigenia for which the current oil sketch is a preparatory work.

The sketch is a marvellous encapsulation of Rubens’ working methods at a relatively early stage in his career. It would enhance the representation of such works in the UK if saved for the nation by a cultural institution.

Arts Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: "This work is the perfect example of Rubens’ artistic talent and gives us greater insight into Flemish art during the 17th century. I hope that a UK gallery is able to save  it so that the public can enjoy it for generations to come."

Mark Hallett, Committee Member said: "This is a picture that gives us the opportunity to appreciate a great artist’s creative process in full flow. Produced on panel as the primary sketch for a monumental oil painting that now hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Cimon falling in Love with Efigenia is entirely the product of Rubens’s own hand, rather than one that – as is the case with the final picture – contains the contributions of his studio assistants. In the sketch, we see Rubens exploring the artistic possibilities of an ethically and erotically charged scene from early Renaissance literature, and experimenting with the established pictorial conventions of the female nude. The longer one looks at and thinks about this picture, the more complex and challenging it becomes: the mark of all truly significant works of art. For these reasons, Cimon falling in Love with Efigenia demands to be found a permanent home in the UK, where it can be enjoyed and reflected upon for decades to come."

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the basis that the painting met the second and third Waverley criteria for its outstanding aesthetic importance and its outstanding significance to the study of Rubens’ preparatory studies and sketches and their influence, as well as the treatment of the female nude in art.

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred for a period ending on 15 September 2025 inclusive. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the painting at the recommended price of £8,440,000. The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for six months.