REMBRANDT REVIVAL
11 June – 30 October 2022
Manet, Morisot, Whistler, Cassatt — these are just a few of the famous painters who were inspired by Rembrandt to start making their own etchings. In the years 1850 they sparked an international revival of the art of etching: The Etching Revival. These works burst with experiment and innovation, with daring compositions and surprising techniques. Rembrandt was an important model for these artists. The Etching Revival was thereby also a Rembrandt Revival.
The Rembrandt House Museum recently received a generous gift of international etchings from the collector Neeke Fraenkel-Schoorl. From 11 June dozens of highlights from this collection can be seen in the exhibition Rembrandt Revival. In the audiotour Neeke Fraenkel-Schoorl personally takes you along some of her favourites. The Rembrandt House Museum is also organising inspiring activities and events related to Rembrandt Revival, including etching workshops and a RembrandtLIVE talkshow and podcast.
Looking and Comparing
The international artists of the Etching Revival often referred to Rembrandt in their works. In the exhibition their work is repeatedly combined with his etchings – an invitation to look and compare. Rembrandt’s Girl Reading for example resurfaces regularly. But the print that was followed most has to be The Three Trees. This etching was enormously popular in the nineteenth century, and was displayed regularly in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Many artists knew the etching well and allowed themselves to be inspired by it, especially the sky and the looming clouds.
The exhibition also reveals the drive of various artists to innovate and experiment. Extreme light-dark contrasts, the combination of various techniques such as aquatint and roulette, and even an artist who prepared his paper by soaking it in gasoline. Special attention is paid to a group of women artists who starting in the nineteenth century had the opportunity to become professional artists. Even so women experienced considerable resistance. Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Käthe Kollwitz and a number of their contemporaries were nonetheless able to gain a place in the art world and began to make prints.
The Neeke Fraenkel-Schoorl Gift
Neeke Fraenkel-Schoorl (1942) started collecting prints at an early age. While studying art history she fell in love with the art of printmaking and she went on to work as, among other things, a print specialist at Sotheby’s. From her particular interest in the work of Whistler she developed a focus on the Etching Revival. She has now donated her collection of nearly 400 prints and 200 pieces of graphic art in books and periodicals from the period 1850-1940. Prints form the core of our museum’s collection, but this period was not strongly represented, until now.
Collector Neeke Fraenkel-Schoorl has self-published a catalogue of her donation. View and purchase this book here.
PROGRAMME
During the exhibition Rembrandt Revival, we are organizing fun and inspiring events with various partners. Below you will find the overview, which will be updated regularly.
WORKSHOPS: ETCHING AT REMBRANDT’S HOME
In our exhibition Rembrandt Revival you will discover which famous artists were inspired by Rembrandt and started making etchings themselves. Follow in the footsteps of Manet, Morisot, Whistler, Cassatt and Rembrandt himself during our workshops ‘Etching at Rembrandt’s Home’. You’ll make your own version of an etching from the exhibition by experimenting with the drypoint technique, various colors and different types of paper. You’ll then print your etching on the large etching press and can take it home afterwards! The workshops ‘Etching at Rembrandt’s Home’ are suitable for adults and children from 6 years old.
Practical information
Dates: 3, 17 and 24 July | August 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28 | September 25 | October 23
For available times and reservation, see: https://tickets.rembrandthuis.nl/en/etsen-bij-rembrandt-thuis/tickets
Location: De Vierde (workshop space) in The Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam
Costs: 5 euros p.p. (excl. entrance ticket to the museum), free for City Pass holders
Note for the press: for more information, please visit our press page.
