Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is one of the most important Dutch painters from the Golden Age. Between 1639 and 1658 this hugely influential artist lived and worked in a stylish house in the heart of Amsterdam. The Rembrandthuis at Jodenbreestraat 4 is now a museum and tells the story of this artist's daily life.
The characteristic merchant’s house where Rembrandt spent 20 years of his life is located in the beautiful historic centre of Amsterdam. Behind the heavy wooden doors you’ll find his living quarters and the atelier where Rembrandt created many of his masterpieces. The house has been restored to its former glory with furniture, art and objects from the 17th century as well as some of the artist’s original etchings. Tip: the museum hosts daily etching and painting demonstrations that showcase the methods used by the great master.
In addition to an oeuvre of some 300 paintings and 2,000 drawings, Rembrandt produced around 290 etchings. In his lifetime Rembrandt was famous for being an etching artist. His works are characterised by the nonchalant lines and exceptional representation of shadows. Because etchings were relatively easy to reproduce, they had a huge audience and 17th-century etching fans from across Europe hoped to own a piece of Rembrandt’s graphic work. The Rembrandthuis owns the majority of the artist’s etchings, part of which are on show in the permanent collection.