Past Exhibition
Strokes of Genius

Details

Overview: 181 prints and drawings by Rembrandt van Rijn were shown in this exhibition, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of the artist's birth. A copperplate by Rembrandt for his etching Abraham Entertaining the Angels also was on view. The works were selected from the prints and drawings collection of the National Gallery of Art, augmented by loans from private collections. The exhibition was organized in 4 thematic sections: In the Street and in the Studio, People That Rembrandt Knew, Country Walks around Amsterdam, and Histories and Figures in the Bible. The 5th section of the exhibition, What Makes One Rembrandt Better Than Another?, presented side-by-side comparisons of prints to illustrate the effects of different impressions, alterations to etching plates, and the role of print condition.
A Sunday concert on November 19 celebrated the exhibition with the music of 17th-century Dutch composers.
Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Andrew Robison, A. W. Mellon senior curator of prints and drawings, was the primary curator of the exhibition, with Gregory Jecmen, assistant curator of old master prints; Peter Parshall, curator of old master prints; Stacey Sell, assistant curator of old master drawings; and Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings.