REMBRANDT REBORN (goes on view tomorrow Monday 5-5-14)

[Omaha Steve]

http://dataomaha.com/rembrandt#rembrandt-reborn-the-amazing-story-of-joslyn-s-crown-jewel

Tucked away in a dark basement vault, "Portrait of Dirck van Os" hung out of view for years. By 1987, the Joslyn Art Museum had become convinced its prized Rembrandt portrait was not a Rembrandt after all. Stripped of that illustrious standing, the painting eventually lost its place in the gallery. This week, it makes a triumphant return, the latest twist in a centurylong debate over what it means to be a Rembrandt, and who gets to decide.

By Casey Logan

Perhaps the greatest defeat of Harold Parsons' life came 20 years after his death.

In 1987, following a century of debate among the world's foremost experts on Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, the Joslyn Art Museum made a startling decision. It announced that a portrait in the museum's collection since 1942 and attributed to Rembrandt was not a Rembrandt at all.



Joslyn Art Museum preparator Kjell Peterson, left, and Kevin Salzman, installation and design manager, take "Portrait of Dirck van Os" to the Hitchcock Foundation Gallery on April 25. Behind them is the Dale Chihuly glass piece "Chihuly: Inside & Out."


More likely, it was made by one of his many students. It wasn't fake exactly, but it also wasn't real — at least not as it had been presented to the public for the previous 45 years.

Expert opinion prompted the Joslyn to re-attribute the painting to the "School of Rembrandt," a considerable fall in prestige that reached bottom 12 years later when the museum removed it from display and placed it in storage.

FULL story at link.

[66 dmhlt]

1. Love the Chihuly piece in the background!

[KittyWampus]

4. Great juxtaposition.

[CTyankee]

2. I read the whole article and I just love it!

Art historian Peter Robb once described the art wolrd as "high stakes and b*tchy," altho he was talking about another artist at the time. I have always remembered that when I read these stories about the long history of such paintings as this one. This is one helluva a great article about the issues and history surrounding this picture's provenance...

[Heidi]

3. Kick!

[progressoid]

5. Rec!

[Coventina]

6. The obsession with "authenticity" is a fairly recent thing in the art world.

Back when this piece was commissioned, it would have been known that the majority of the work would have been done by others in the workshop.

[Omaha Steve]

7. Rembrandt painting makes its debut at Joslyn – again

http://www.omaha.com/article/20140505/GO/140509137/1685#rembrandt-painting-makes-its-debut-at-joslyn-again

By Casey Logan / World-Herald staff writer

Omaha, meet Dirck van Os.

On Monday, Joslyn Art Museum re-introduced a portrait of a prominent 17th century Dutch citizen, painted by famed artist Rembrandt van Rijn.

A group of approximately 200 museum patrons attended a private viewing of Rembrandt's “Portrait of Dirck van Os,” followed by a lecture and luncheon.

The portrait's authenticity as a Rembrandt was thrown into doubt in the 1980s and was only recently confirmed by the world's leading authority as one of the artist's works. It will be on public view when the museum opens Tuesday. As part of the Joslyn's permanent collection, it is viewable for free (the museum eliminated general admission fees last year).

FULL story and several photos at link.

[Peacetrain]

9. YEAH!!!!!!!

Road trip to Omaha definitely in the works... Thanks for the update..

[Omaha Steve]

8. My granddaughter called earlier tonight

She wants to make sure we take her to see the Rembrandt: http://betterment.democraticunderground.com/10024841771

Last Saturday Marta, Madison and her (our middle daughter) mom, a friend of Madison's and I did the Renaissance Faire together.

OS

[Demit]

10. I enjoyed reading that story, thanks Omaha Steve.

[mopinko]

11. wow, that before and after is amazing

fun little slider on the pic at the end of the story so you can see the changes.
really cool, steve.
and a reeeeeeeally amazing painting.
glad it is out there in "nowhere"