Chinese Tutor - Rembrandt, Hals light up London exhibition on Dutch Golden Age

ENTERTAINMENT / Theater & Arts






Rembrandt, Hals light up London exhibition on Dutch Golden Age

(AFP)
Updated: 2007-06-27 09:17





A woman looks at "Apostle Peter Kneeling" by Rembrandt in 2006. [AFP]

The works of Rembrandt and Frans Hals will be the highlights of an
exhibition opening in London Wednesday that traces the development of
Dutch portrait painting in the country's 17th century "Golden Age."

The "Dutch Portraits" exhibition in The National Gallery, which runs
until September 16, will feature a range from small portraits meant for
the private home to larger portraits for public settings, curators said
in a statement.

On display are some 60 works, all painted between 1599 and 1683 by some
29 artists, including the lesser known Jan van Ravesteyn and Johannes
Cornelisz Verspronck who are currently not represented in public British
collections.

On loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is what the National Gallery
described as "the audacious marriage portrait Hals painted to celebrate
the wedding of the wealthy merchant couple Abraham Massa and Beatrix van
der Laen."

There are also portraits of families and children, including that of "The
Twins Clara and Aelbert de Bray" by Salomon de Bray from a private
collection.

A highlight will be two of Rembrandt's most famous works: "The Anatomy
Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp," which has not been seen in Britain for 40
years, and "The Syndics," which has not been seen here since 1992.

The first painting is from the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The
Hague, while the second is from Rijksmuseum.

The National Gallery said the range of portraits "gives insights into the
fashion, occupations and ambitions of this group of affluent 17th century
individuals."

After winning independence from Spain in 1581, the Dutch republic enjoyed
a period of unprecedented wealth based on the activities of merchants and
entrepreneurs who spawned a new middle class elite and patrons of the
arts.

For the first time in Europe, the National Gallery said, the bourgoisie
rather than the Church or the royal family engaged artists to paint
scenes of their family, social or professional lives.













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