Museo Carmen Thyssen

The 35 prints selected for this exhibition are an invitation to visitors to enjoy the extraordinary printmaking mastery of the Dutch painter Rembrandt (Leiden, 1606–Amsterdam, 1669). The show has been made possible by the collaboration of the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, which houses the largest private collection of the artist’s work in Spain. A universally recognised master in this discipline along with Dürer, Goya and Picasso, Rembrandt produced around three hundred prints between 1620 and 1665, earning a great reputation in his day and becoming better known for his graphic work than for his paintings. He addressed the same variety of subjects in his prints as in his paintings, and we have chosen two fundamental themes in his work for this show: portraits and self-portraits, and religious scenes (biblical themes focusing on the lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and on the life and passion of Christ).

The collection assembled by the collector José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947) includes examples of the artist’s most outstanding pieces in editions from different periods, which attest to Rembrandt’s progressive command of printmaking techniques, his brilliant use of chiaroscuro, his attention to detail and his extraordinary inventiveness.

In short, the exhibition surveys the best of the work of a key figure in art history through what was undoubtedly his most personal output, in which he expressed himself with greater freedom and experimented with enormous creativity. With his prints Rembrandt surpassed the fame he enjoyed during his lifetime, and today, almost four hundred years on, they continue to fascinate viewers with their exquisiteness, vibrancy and quality.