The last time I stood before a Rembrandt, I was at the Royal Palace in Warsaw, Poland. A friend and I stood alone in a room with two paintings by the Dutch master. Even with the single strand of braided rope barrier, the paintings were almost near enough for me to reach and to touch. I was both amazed and thankful the Polish people allowed us to be so near to those unshielded, unprotected, priceless pieces of art.
The photograph shows a work by Rembrandt that resides in a permanent collection hardly twenty minutes from where I live, yet, I have not seen it -- so far -- but soon. It is called, "The Suicide of Lucretia," and was completed in 1666. Its home is in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. If you do not know the story of Lucretia, I will leave you to your own devices to learn it. But, I will mention that writers no less than Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare have provided their versions of the tale.
Now then, the primary purpose of these words is this: "Rembrandt in America" will open Sunday (June 24) and will continue until Sept. 16 at the Minneapolis Institute. The exhibit features more than thirty (yes, 30) of the artist's paintings, as well as another twenty or so (yes, 20) pieces once thought to be the work of Rembrandt. This ensemble will become the temporary companion of "Lucretia." This showing is billed as the largest collection of Rembrandt paintings ever assembled in the United States.
So, this is not a post. Think of it as a personal invitation. In the meanwhile, can you come up with a better way to spend a few hours on a summer's day than by meeting Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn face-to-face? If you are able, tell me. If you are not, maybe, we will find ourselves standing side-by-side, together, with one of the genuine masters in the realm of painting.
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