The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA), located here in Raleigh, has made history. On Sunday, October 30, the NC Museum of Art will reveal the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings in the special exhibit Rembrandt in America.
This exhibit, featuring more than 30 original autographed Rembrandt paintings, was organized not only by the NCMA, but also by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This exhibit will be in Raleigh until January 22, 2012, when it will then move on to other museums. Raleigh is the only East Coast venue of this show.
Larry Wheeler, director of NCMA, predicts the exhibition will be among the biggest in the museum's history.
“Over 10,000 tickets have been pre-sold,” said Wheeler at a preview for media Thursday (October 27). “That’s a really good number. They’ve been sold to over 25 different states and numerous countries. I can’t tell you what it means for the tourism. We hope that all 50 states will be represented and many more foreign countries will be represented, just like [the] Monet [exhibit]. We are hoping to exceed that attendance, which was over 200,000.”
Dennis Weller, curator of Northern European Art at NCMA and co-curator of Rembrandt in American, has wanted to create this exhibit for more than 16 years. “I am very pleased that this is happening,” he said. “[Rembrandt is] one of the greatest of old masters. We are celebrating genius.”
Rembrandt in America not only features original Rembrandt work, but also work once thought to be Rembrandt’s. Once Rembrandt became a master in Amsterdam in the late 1600s, he opened a workshop where he taught students. Many paintings produced there were thought to be original Rembrandts when they were actually pupils' works. For example, "Descent from the Cross," a painting depicting Jesus being taken down from his crucifixion, sold for a record amount in 1909 as it was thought to be a Rembrandt. Years later, it was determined the painting was not Rembrandt’s work, but the work of one of his most accomplished pupils. The exhibit features this piece so that guests can really understand Rembrandt’s painting techniques and how they differ from others.
While the primary focus of the exhibition is on the history of Rembrandt collecting and connoisseurship as it relates to his works residing in America, the show also explores his work across various genres, his artistic evolution, and his influence on other artists of the day. Included in this exhibition are a number of important portraits from Rembrandt’s prosperous early career in Amsterdam as the city’s most sought after portrait painter, as well as character studies, historical and biblical scenes, and three of his celebrated self-portraits. Also featured alongside Rembrandt’s artworks are literary works, either biographical or exploratory pieces about Rembrandt’s artwork conspiracy theories.
If you’re going: Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students/seniors/military members, $12 children (children 6 and under are free). For a full list of exhibit-related programs and events, visit ncartmuseum.org or call 919-839-6262. The museum is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh.
For more on what else to see and do this fall and winter in Raleigh, go to VisitRaleigh.com or call 800.849.8499 or 919.834.5900.
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