Rembrandthuis Successes and Disappointments by Kevin Chow

           The Museum Het Rembrandthuis, located in the renovated home of Rembrandt van Rijn, boasts a small but fascinating collection of the Dutch artist’s copper plate etchings and paintings by Rembrandt’s predecessors and contemporaries.  However, the museum seems less interested in the effective display of its collection for public viewing and more interested in showcasing facts about the artist himself.  The museum experience is notable for its deliberate focus on the portrayal of Rembrandt’s home and the artistic techniques that went into producing some of Rembrandt’s masterpieces, but it suffers from a lack of attention given to the exhibition of objects.

Part of the strength of the museum’s pedagogy is that it insists on making the connection between Rembrandt’s life to the physical space of the home.  In the image above, excavated ceramic pieces from the house correlate exactly with the objects in one of Rembrandt’s still life paintings.  As the first museum installation that visitors encounter, the juxtaposition of archaeological evidence with the artistic representation is a deliberate decision that makes the entire experience of being in the house feel more authentic and valuable.  It offers a privileged view to the visitor by providing the material forms that once guided the famous artist’s hand.  At the same time, the display creates an interesting opportunity to compare reality to the representation – what artistic liberties, if any, did Rembrandt take and why? An edifying moment, viewing this museum display invites the visitor to think like an art historian - why were only some of the excavated objects selected for the still life, while others were simply discarded? 

Another virtue of the museum is its attempt to create a sense of the space’s former pragmatism.  In Rembrandt’s large studio, empty frames, plaster casts, and weapons line the sides of the room, along with canvases in various stages of stretching and preparation.  Traces of pigments deliberately streaked onto the wall speak to the physicality of the manual labor that was involved in producing one of Rembrandt’s masterpieces.  The room successfully creates the effect of a workshop that might still be in use.  

In Rembrandt’s art cabinet, a multitude of rare objects, dried animals, shells, weapons, books, and glassware provides a historically reasonable representation of the artist’s room for storing collections of objects that inspired and interested him.  By offering daily demonstrations of artistic techniques, the museum further attempts to stay true to the original functionality of the space.  One artist’s demonstration shows the steps in creating a copper plate etch and the acid bath preparation, which reinforces an appreciation of Rembrandt’s early, masterful command of a scientifically complex technique.  On another demonstration table, another artist demonstrates the process of mixing pigments and creating oil paints.  This display also provides an authentic, olfactory dimension to the space, which would have smelled heavily of garlic, pigments, and rabbit during the 17^th century.  Through the museum’s adherence to a mission of authenticity, the visitor obtains a more accurate understanding of Rembrandt not simply as a painter, but also as a head of a workshop, a practical chemist, and a virtuosic etching artist.

            One major regret of the museum is the display of its collection.  For example, in the anteroom of the house, poor light conditions and awkward positioning of paintings obscure many of the images through glare.  Loud noises from the dehumidifier break the atmosphere of the space, which the curator must have worked hard to create, given the inclusion of time-appropriate furniture and fireplace.  The display of some of Rembrandt’s etchings towards the end of the exhibit, with their stunning richness of detail and fine incision work, deserves more magnifying glasses.  Some glasses were included on a few frames to accommodate visitors with poor eyesight, but I would have liked to be able to view any of the etchings with a magnifying glass.

Ultimately, the shortcomings of the museum seem surprising.  The museum goes through a great deal of trouble in order to create an authentic atmosphere of contemplation and learning, but forgets some basic requirements for an effective didactic presentation of historical objects – lighting and display.  At the end of the visit, I had to wonder if the museum relies too heavily on the persona and the fame of Rembrandt as a tourist attraction, instead of attempting to do justice to the artist’s collected objects.