Careers by Design: Hendrick Goltzius & Peter Paul Rubens

The Baroque advertising strategies of self-marketing masters Rubens and Goltzius.

How do artists ensure that their works will still be known in later centuries? How do they reach a public that lies far away geographically? In around 1600, printed graphics were the answer. The outstanding works of Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) show us how international success could be achieved in this way.

Printed graphics are easy to reproduce and distribute, and so around 1600, they became the perfect ambassadors for themselves in the diplomatic service of art. Through 160 masterly copperplate engravings, this volume shows how innovative and strategically astute Goltzius and Rubens were in their use of this medium--beguiling the public, arousing desires, and disseminating their new artworks. In addition to their paintings, the engravings became sought-after collectors’ items which played a decisive part in the promotion of the careers of both artists.

The Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich, Germany, is a large collection of drawings, prints, and engravings. It contains 400,000 sheets starting from the fifteenth century from various artists around the world. It is located within the Kunstareal, a museum quarter in the city center of Munich.