TMA exhibit features newly discovered Rembrandt painting
Written by Kristen Criswell | | krapin@toledofreepress.comThe Toledo Museum of Art will display a recently rediscovered painting by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn starting Jan. 28.
The painting was lost for several years, but resurfaced in 2007 when an English family that owned the artwork sold it at an auction house.
While the painting was originally attributed to a follower of Rembrandt and valued at $1,600 to $2,400, art dealers recognized its importance and the piece sold for $4.5 million.
“Rembrandt Laughing,” oil on copper. private collection of hazlitt Gooden & Fox, London
The self-portrait, on loan to the museum, will be on display with TMA’s two pieces by the Dutch painter. The exhibit also features “Young Man with Plumed Hat” and “Man in a Fur-Lined Coat,” pieces from the beginning and end of Rembrandt’s career.
“You can’t have too much Rembrandt,” said Lawrence Nichols, TMA’s William Hutton curator, European and American painting and sculpture before 1900. “He’s always rewarding and his artwork is visually and utterly compelling. At 6 inches by 11 inches, [“Rembrandt Laughing”] is small, but it will be a thrill to see this creative genius at the outset of his career.”
Rembrandt is captivating because he can capture human emotion well, Nichols said. These skills allowed Rembrandt to share a story in his artwork and make his work relevant centuries after he lived, Nichols said.
The newly discovered portrait of the young artist is a study of human emotion, Nichols said.
“It’s himself looking in the mirror, face laughing,” he said. “He examines the emotion and captures it. He’s training his eye to examine the human soul and he’ll utilize these skills when it comes to his history paintings.”
Unlike many paintings done on panel or canvases, “Rembrandt Laughing” is painted onto the less frequently used copper, Nichols said. The copper medium illuminates the painting, he said.
The exhibit will be on display Jan. 28 through May 6 in Gallery 24, Nichols said.
“Good things come in small packages and this installation of three works of art is a small scale installation, he said. “It will be very gratifying to see these works of art. We are very pleased to be able to bring it to Toledo.”
Nichols and TMA Director Brian Kennedy plan to give tours of the exhibit, but the museum is still finalizing programming to accompany the exhibit, Nichols said. Nichols is scheduled to give tours Feb. 11 and 12, he said.
For more information on programing accompanying the exhibit, visit the website www.toledomusuem.org.
Tags: Rembrandt, Toledo Museum of Art
