Rijksmuseum’s Golden Age art collection on three-state tour

Rembrandt exhibits in Ohio, Arizona and Oregon

DAYTON, Ohio - The exhibition ‘Rembrandt and the Golden Age; Masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum’ recently opened in the Dayton Art Institute. Running until January 7, 2007, the show is part of a huge series of events celebrating the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth.

The Dayton Art Institute is one of only three U.S. museums to offer this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see rare Dutch masterpieces while their home, the famed Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, undergoes an extensive renovation and expansion project.

Following Dayton, the exhibition travels to the Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, Arizona – where it is on display from January 28 through May 6 - after which the tour concludes at the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon. The Oregon exhibit runs from June 2 through September 15, 2007.

For more than two years, all three museums have been involved in a unique collaboration with the director and curators of the renowned Amsterdam art institute to make this extraordinary exhibition available to the American public.

Works of art in the exhibition include notable masterpieces such as a Rembrandt self-portrait, his portrait of his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, and Frans Hals’ portrait of Nicolaes Hasselaer. Other artists represented in the U.S. tour include Jan Steen, Adriaen van der Werff, Hendrick ter Brugghen, Nicolaas Maes, Govert Flinck and Gerard Dou, as well as their portraits made by fellow painters of that era. As well, there is a selection of still life paintings from artists such as Pieter Claesz and Rachel Ruysch, and landscapes by Jan van Goyen and Jacob van Ruisdael.

The prosperity of Dutch society in the 17th century also is shown in decorative arts objects from the Rijksmuseum collection. Spectacular silver showpieces are part of the exhibition. Other decorative arts objects on display include sculptures, delftware and several examples of glassware.