Rembrandt prints unveiled at Lady Lever Art Gallery
Sketches by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn have gone on show at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.
Rembrandt in Print features 50 of the world-famous artist’s finest etchings and drypoints in a show which marks the 350th anniversary of his death.
The prints, on loan from Oxford University’s Ashmolean Museum, have never been displayed together before.
The works, which range from self-portraits to landscapes, religious subjects, still lives and life drawings, were all created between 1630 and the 1650s, and have been chosen specially to show the full scope of Rembrandt’s ability as a printer.
They include his earliest-known self-portrait from 1630 when the artist was 24 years old, and Christ Presented to the People (1655) which is considered the height of his printmaking. The Ashmolean’s copy is one of only eight first state impressions in existence.
Above: Self portrait etching at a window, Rembrandt (1648). Top: The Three Trees, Rembrandt, (1643) © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
The exhibition also forms part of Wirral’s year as the Liverpool City Region’s Borough of Culture.
Xanthe Brooke, Curator of Art Galleries at National Museums Liverpool, said: “This is an exemplary collection, and we’re thrilled it is first being shown at the Lady Lever Art Gallery.
“Visitors to Rembrandt in Print will be able to see Rembrandt’s intense self-portraits, atmospheric landscapes, intimate family portraits, biblical stories and confronting nude studies. We hope people will enjoy this special exhibition”.
The exhibition is free but visitors are being asked to consider a voluntary donation to help the Port Sunlight venue bring more world-class art to the area.
Rembrandt In Print is at the Lady Lever Art Gallery until September 15.