Research stays 

Research into Rubens and his contemporaries is still vital. That's why the Rubenshuis supports visiting researchers, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and senior art historians, as part of their ongoing projects. With free access to the entire research collection and the possibility to attend and organise symposia. 

Of course, visiting researchers are not alone. They take part in fascinating collaborations with other researchers and staff members of our house. These lead to introductions to Belgian universities, museums, libraries, archives and art dealers. Visiting researchers can present their work both internally and at interuniversity seminars in Leuven and Ghent.  

Submit an application to become a visiting researcher in Dutch or English. Please indicate the following information on no more than one page:  

• Your current institution 
• List of promoters 
• Current or expected study funding 
• Presentation of your research topic and what sources you plan to consult in the Rubenshuis 
• Estimated period of stay (min. 2 months) 
• Estimated attendance at the Rubenshuis (daily, weekly, etc.)  
   

Apply here

American BAEF fellows (Belgian American Educational Foundation) have for many years found their way to the Rubenshuis as visiting researchers. This fellowship aims to get a new generation of researchers fired up for valuable research. These fellows enjoy the same facilities as other visiting researchers.  

Candidates apply online. 

Please note: if awarded this fellowship, you will also need to arrange a formal affiliation with a Belgian university (in addition to your home university) for visa purposes. This usually takes the form of giving proof upon arrival in Belgium to the Belgian authorities of either enrollment status or official status as a visiting scholar at that Belgian university – e.g. KU Leuven, Ghent University or VUB. Consequently, when preparing your application, it is advisable to already make contact not only with the Rubenshuis but also with a university professor and a member of that university’s international staff office.

Visiting researchers currently researching Flemish art and culture of the 16th and 17th centuries at the Rubenshuis:  

• Hanne Schonkeren – VUB/FWO. PhD project: Ingenious Craftsmanship: A Performative and Art Historical Study of Gold and Silversmithing in Sixteenth- Century Antwerp 
• Max Wiringa – KU Leuven/FWO. PhD project: Fragments of Order. Constructing Renaissance Architecture in the Low Countries 
• Margot Steurbaut – Rice University. PhD project: Collaboration and Innovation in Stained Glass in the Circle of Rubens: Abraham van Diepenbeeck, Theodoor van Thulden, and Jan de Labarre
• John White – Princeton University/BAEF-Rubenianum Fellow. PhD project: Shaped by the Sea: Marine Materials in Art of the Early Modern Low Countries
• Barbara Kaminska – Sam Houston State University. Project: The (In)Visibility of Pain. Illness and Suffering in Netherlandish Art
• Giovanni Pacini – Sapienza Università di Roma. PhD project: L’immaginario europeo di Pieter Paul Rubens. Una ricostruzione teorica e digitale
   

Former visiting researchers