Eliconie

dal 12/2/2015 al 17/5/2015

This year, the Rijksmuseum will be presenting the first major retrospective of the later work of Rembrandt van Rijn: a once-in-a-lifetime event. Over 100 works from leading museums and private collections from around the world will be on display here in Amsterdam.

With 40 paintings, 20 drawings and 30 prints, Late Rembrandt presents a comprehensive overview of the artist’s work between approximately 1652 and his death in 1669. In collaboration with the National Gallery of London, the artworks in the exhibition are on loan from leading international museums and private collections, many of which have been brought together for the first time.

To coincide with Late Rembrandt, a series of events, including a walking tour and a boat trip will be organised across Amsterdam to the landmarks where Rembrandt lived and worked including the Rembrandt House Museum (Rembrandthuis) and West Church (Westerkerk) where he was buried. Against the backdrop of tragic personal losses and ongoing financial difficulties, Rembrandt began experimenting with printing and painting techniques in the later years of his life, producing some of the most distinctive, innovative and daring works of his career. His global reputation was eventually shaped by the late masterworks such as Self-Portrait with Two Circles (Kenwood House, London), the Family Portrait (Herzog Anton Ulrich-museum, Braunschweig), Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel) and The Jewish Bride (Rijksmuseum).

One of the most spectacular examples of Rembrandt’s experimentation from this period is Lucretia (Minneapolis Institute of Art), in which the artist made use of the unusual technique of applying two overlapping layers of paint on the right sleeve, showing extensive use of a palette knife. It will be displayed alongside The Three Crosses, a highlight of Rembrandt’s late printmaking which achieves a dynamic contrast between light and dark not seen before with this technique.

One of Rembrandt’s most famous drawings, Young Woman Sleeping (British Museum), is typical of Rembrandt’s later work: an intense scrutiny of an intimate moment. Rembrandt adopts a similar approach to depict history in his large paintings, as can be seen in the epic canvas Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel).
About the exhibition

The exhibition is divided into ten themes: The late self-portraits, Observation of everyday life, Artistic rivalry, Artistic conventions, Experimental technique, Light, Intimacy, Contemplation, Inner conflict and Reconciliation.

Late Rembrandt was created in collaboration with the National Gallery London, where the exhibition will be shown from 15 October 2014 to 18 January 2015. The paintings The Family Portrait (Herzog Anton Ulrich-museum, Braunschweig), the Self-Portrait as Zeuxis Laughing (Wallraf-Richartz Museum-Fondation Corboud, Cologne), Portrait of Jan Six (Six Collection, Amsterdam) and Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) can only be seen in Amsterdam.

Image: catalogue

Press Contact: pressoffice@rijksmuseum.nl

Rijksmuseum
Museumstraat 1, 1071
Amsterdam
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/

Opening hours:
9:00 to 17:00 daily, all days of the year: so the museum is also open on Christmas day, Boxing day and New Year’s day
The Rijksmuseum’s ticket desk closes at 16:30
The Rijksmuseum Gardens, Rijks Shop and Café are also open to visitors without a ticket from 9:00 to 18:00