All the Rembrandts in the Rijksmuseum

To Celebrate the 350th Anniversary of Rembrandt’s Death, the Rijksmuseum Vows to Show ‘All the Rembrandts’.  Fittingly titled "All the Rembrandts in the Rijksmuseum," the landmark show offers a chance to see 'The Night Watch' before its restoration.

Ever wished to see all the Rembrandts? Soon, you can—or at least you can see all of the Rijksmuseum‘s Rembrandts, which amounts to the largest trove of art by the Dutch Golden Age master in the world. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is part of the Dutch museum’s effort to pull out all the stops to commemorate the 350th year of Rembrandt van Rijn‘s death in what is being called “The Year of Rembrandt.”

Titled “All the Rembrandts in the Rijksmuseum,” the blockbuster show marks the first time the institution has ever brought all these works together for public viewing: 22 paintings, 60 drawings, and more than 300 of the best examples of Rembrandt’s prints, all told. It goes on view from February 15 through June 10, 2019. It is definitely the first—but also likely the last—show of such magnitude.

The most iconic and beloved painting by the artist, The Nightwatch, will be the centerpiece of the show, before it heads into an ambitious restoration procedure beginning in July 2019—a process that is expected to take several years and cost millions of euros. During the most intensive restoration in the painting’s lifetime, the large-scale work will be encased within a small glass room on view to the public both in the museum and via livestream.

Two other significant works in “All the Rembrandts” are relatively new to the collection. In 2015, the Rijksmuseum bought the portraits of Oopjen Coppit and Marten Soolmans from the French collector Éric de Rothschild for the reportedly staggering sum of €160 million ($180.6 million).

And don’t expect Rembrandt fever to let up. Following the closing of “All the Rembrandts” in June, the Rijksmuseum will prepare to showcase an overview of paintings by the artist paired with another 17th century master, Diego Velázquez, beginning October 11, 2019 (on view until January 19, 2020).

Source: Artnet