2006 sees the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt van Rijn's birth. Throughout the year, Amsterdam is celebrating his life and works in a series of exhibitions.

Rembrandt Exhibitions in 2006

Amsterdam alone has over 20 special Rembrandt exhibitions as well as many other events throughout 2006 including Rembrandt – The Musical in the Royal Theatre Carre starting in July. Plus a unique Rembrandt-Caravaggio exhibition uniting the two famous Baroque painters will be unveiled for the first time at the Rijksmuseum, 24th February – 18th June 2006, with full details on www.rembrandt400.com.

Number of works
Rembrandt produced approximately 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 1,400 drawings. His works include: St. Paul in Prison (1627); Supper at Emmaus (1630); The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632); The Nightwatch (1642); Young Girl at an Open Half-Door (1645); The Mill (1650); Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer (1653); The Return of the Prodigal Son (after 1660); The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild (1662); and many portraits.

Damage to The Nightwatch
In 1715, a large section of the left part and some areas of the right side of The Nightwatch were cut away and discarded along with the edges to make the painting fit in the town hall at the Dam. After the Second World War for unknown reasons, the painting was twice destroyed by museum visitors, once with caustic acid and once with a knife. As a result, the legs of the Lieutenant and the Captain were seriously damaged and the painting today is not as it once would have been.

Rembrandt’s Life in Amsterdam
While Rembrandt spent most of his time in Amsterdam he was actually born in Leiden in 1606. In 1631, when Rembrandt's work had become well known and his studio in Leiden was flourishing, he moved to Amsterdam and quickly became the leading portrait painter in Holland receiving many commissions for portraits as well as for paintings of religious subjects.

Tragedy
Rembrandt and Saskia (the only partner he married) had four children of which only their youngest son, Titus (1641) survived. The other children, a boy and two girls, died just after birth and are buried in the Protestant church, Zuiderkerk. Tragically, Saskia did not have much time to enjoy life with her son as she died of tuberculosis aged 29 when Titus was only nine months old. Rembrandt eventually died in 1669, aged 63.

Rembrandthuis
Rembrandt’s house was built in 1606 in the Dutch Renaissance style and was typical of a seventeenth-century dwelling for an important citizen. In 1906 the “Rembrandthuis”, as it is known, was purchased as a museum and opened to the public in 1911. In 1999 the interior was entirely reconstructed according to the period in which Rembrandt lived and now exhibits nearly all of his etchings.

Bronze
On 20th December 2005 Rembrandt came face-to-face with 22 characters from arguably his most famous work, The Night Watch, on the Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam. A large bronze sculpture weighing 8,000 kilos and taking over five years to cast, was placed in front of the renovated 1852 statue of Rembrandt. Illuminated at night, the scene brings to life 22 characters from the famous painting; allowing visitors to walk around and through the famous scene.

For further information on Rembrandt 400 and the programme of events, please visit the official website at www.rembrandt400.com

For further information on visiting Holland please visit the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions website at www.holland.com.

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