Klara Alen is research curator of the historical garden of the Rubenshuis in Antwerp and researcher for Rubens' country estate 'Het Steen' in Elewijt. She studied art history at the University of Leuven and art market studies at the VU Amsterdam. Klara obtained her PhD in art history in the spring of 2017 as a researcher of Project Cornelia (www.projectcornelia.be).Klara has published papers and given lectures on the early development of still life painting in the Northern and Southern Netherlands, 17th century Antwerp horticulture, Rubens' garden, Helena Fourment, women artists and the social and entrepreneurial strategies of early modern artists and art dealers. Together with Sam Segal, Klara is the author of ‘Dutch and Flemish Flower Pieces. Paintings, Drawings and Prints up to the Nineteenth Century’ (Brill, 2020). Klara's book 'Rubens' Garden. A Masterpiece in Bloom' (Hannibal, 2024) contains the results of the research that was conducted in the course of the restoration. It offers insight into hitherto unknown historical sources from archives and libraries and presents an overview of the most important flowers and plants and their stories.