Rembrandt in America

Portrait of Marten Looten (detail), 1632. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on wood; 92.7 x 76.2 cm. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of J. Paul Getty 53.50.3. Image © 2009 Museum Associates/LACMA/Art Resource, NY
Portrait of Marten Looten, 1632. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on wood; 92.7 x 76.2 cm. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of J. Paul Getty 53.50.3. Image © 2009 Museum Associates/LACMA/Art Resource, NY
Portrait of a Woman, 1635 or earlier. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669) and workshop. Oil on wood; 77.5 x 64.8 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Collection 1944.90. Image © The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Death of Lucretia(?), about mid-1640s. Follower of Rembrandt van Rijn. Oil on canvas; 174 x 219.7 cm. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of James E. Scripps 89.44. Image: The Bridgeman Art Library Nationality
Portrait of a Young Man, 1666. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on canvas; 71.6 x 62.8 cm. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri (Purchase Nelson Trust) 31-75. Photo: Jamison Miller
Portrait of a Man Holding a Black Hat, about 1639. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on wood; 79.5 x 69.4 cm. The Armand Hammer Collection, Los Angeles, Gift of the Armand Hammer Foundation AH.90.59. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer
Saint Bartholomew, 1661. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on canvas; 86.7 x 75.6 cm. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 71.PA.15
Lucretia, 1666. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on canvas; 110.2 x 92.3 cm. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The William Hood Dunwoody Fund 34.19
The Operation (Touch), about 1624/25. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on wood; 21.5 x 17.7 cm. Private collection, New York
Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes, 1634. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on wood; 70.8 x 55.2 cm. Private collection, New York
Flora, about 1654. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on canvas; 100 x 91.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Archer M. Huntington, in memory of his father, Collis Potter Huntington 26.101.10. Photo: Malcolm Varon. Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource, NY
Self-Portrait, 1659. Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). Oil on canvas; 84.5 x 66 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.72. Image courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Rembrandt in America

Sun, 02/19/2012 to Mon, 05/28/2012

Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall

Rembrandt in America is the first major exhibition to explore in depth the collecting history of Rembrandt paintings in America. Consisting of over 50 works, the exhibition brings together autograph works by Rembrandt as well as others thought to be by the artist when they entered American collections but whose attributions can no longer be maintained. The exhibition therefore surveys the long career of Rembrandt as a painter, including his studio and a broader network of adapters, followers, and copyists.

While many exhibitions devoted to Rembrandt's paintings took place during the 400-year centenary of the artist's birth in 2006, Rembrandt in America offers the public a rare opportunity to examine the evolving opinions and methods of scholars and collectors regarding what constituted an autograph Rembrandt painting over a period of more than a century.

By arranging works in small groupings, visitors can develop their own skills in connoisseurship and opinions on authenticity. The exhibition occurs at a time when scrutiny of "Rembrandt" versus "not Rembrandt" continues to trouble the discipline and affect the art market significantly. As the first major exhibition to take a broader look at the history of Rembrandt collecting and connoisseurship in America, the show also addresses growing interest in the country's collecting history.

Rembrandt in America not only investigates collecting Rembrandts in America but also in Cleveland. The museum owns four paintings associated with Rembrandt, two acquired in the early 20th century by the Cleveland collectors John L. Severance and Elisabeth Severance Prentiss. Two others were purchased by the museum in 1950 and 1967. Each came to the museum attributed to Rembrandt, and all have subsequently been questioned to various degrees, with consensus yet to be reached. This exhibition offers the unique opportunity to place these problems front and center and bring together paintings from other collections to compare to Cleveland's own works.

The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue explores the often-controversial issues of collecting and connoisseurship, with a focus on individual paintings where these two related topics intersect.

Co-organizers include the North Carolina Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The exhibition was on view at the North Carolina Museum of Art from October 30, 2011–January 22, 2012, and will travel to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts from June 24–September 16, 2012.

Ticketed Exhibition
Full price $14, Senior $12, Student $12, Children 6–17 $7, Children 5 and under free, Members free

Have a group of 10 or more? Email groupsales [at] clevelandart.org for more information on group discounted admission or to buy your group tickets.

Special Extended Exhibition Hours
Saturday May 19: 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.
Sunday May 20: 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Saturday May 26: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sunday May 27: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Monday May 28: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Looking for an artwork in the collection?

Rembrandt in America