Rembrandt exhibition opens at North Hertfordshire Museum

PR Date: Thursday, 9 January 2020 - 3:15pm

A new exhibition featuring world renowned artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669) will open its doors at North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin on 18 January.

Rembrandt in Print presents 50 of the finest works from the Ashmolean Museum’s world-class collection of over 200 etchings and drypoints.

The outstanding selection of works on display range in date from 1630 until the late 1650s, and the techniques and subject matters included in the exhibition form a printed legacy, providing an authentic glimpse into Rembrandt’s working methods and life.

Exhibition highlights are a selection of intense self-portraits, including one of his earliest dating from 1630. Rembrandt’s only still-life print, The Shell (1650) and iconic works such as The Three Trees (1643) and The Windmill (1641) are also highlights. Perhaps the most remarkable print on display is Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo) (1655), considered to be the pinnacle of Rembrandt’s printmaking. This is one of only eight first state impressions in existence in the world.

Rembrandt, widely hailed as the greatest painter of the Dutch Golden Age, was also one of the most innovative and experimental printmakers of the seventeenth century. Displayed together for the first time, these works demonstrate Rembrandt’s inventive techniques and unrivalled ability for storytelling.

Rembrandt was an experimental printmaker and often made impressions of the intermediary, unfinished stages of a print. His prints in their varying stages of development allow us to discover the step-by-step processes undertaken by Rembrandt in his workshop.

This exhibition has been organised by the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.

Cllr Keith Hoskins, North Hertfordshire District Council’s Executive Member for Enterprise and Co-operative Development said: "This is a wonderful start to the Hertfordshire Year of Culture in Hitchin, and we are thrilled to have such a prestigious exhibition at the Museum. Rembrandt was a true master in his field and this special exhibition is one not to be missed. We urge people from North Herts and beyond to stop by and experience this wonderful artwork for themselves."

Rembrandt in Print is free to visit, will run from 18 January to 19 April and is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10.30am to 4.30pm and 11am to 3pm on Sundays.

Visit the North Hertfordshire Museum webpages for more information.

About the exhibition tour:

Rembrandt in Print has been curated by An Van Camp, Christopher Brown Assistant Keeper of Northern European Art at the Ashmolean Museum. Rembrandt in Print has been organised to coincide with 2019’s ‘Year of Rembrandt’ marking 350 years since the artist’s death in 1669. This touring exhibition began at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in the Wirral where the exhibition was on display from 1 June – 15 September. The tour continued to the Holburne Museum in Bath from 4 October – 5 January 2020 before moving onto the North Hertfordshire Museum, Hitchin from 18 January – 19 April 2020. Finally, the exhibition tour will finish at the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork from 22 May – 23 August 2020.