DAYTON, OHIO.- In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth, The Dayton Art Institute presents the American premier of Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art: Treasures from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Opening September 24, 2006, 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 the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam undergoes an extensive renovation and expansion project.

Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art: Treasures from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam includes more than 100 stellar examples of Dutch 17th century masterpieces, including paintings, prints, sculptures, and decorative arts. This marks the first time an exhibition of this size from the Rijksmuseum collection will be presented in the United States.

“This exhibition is a unique, phenomenal and unprecedented opportunity to view the splendors of 17th century Dutch art drawn from the world’s greatest repository of Dutch art,” said J. Bradford Tillson, interim director of The Dayton Art Institute. “Rembrandt, arguably the most memorable and revered artist in history, is showcased in Dayton with more than 50 prints, drawings and paintings. These spectacular works by Rembrandt are complemented by the greatest artists of 17th century Holland – including Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Jan van Goyen, Nicholaes Maes, and Jan Steen.”

Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art: Treasures from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam will be on view at The Dayton Art Institute from September 24, 2006 to January 7, 2007. Following its American debut in Dayton, the exhibition travels to the Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon. For nearly three years, all three museums have been involved in a unique collaboration with the Rijksmuseum’s director, Professor Ronald de Leeuw, and his curatorial staff to make this extraordinary exhibition available to the American public.

Works of art in Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art: Treasures from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam include objects that the Rijksmuseum will consent to lend only on very rare occasions, such as the current renovation, rebuilding and restoration of the Rijksmuseum’s main building, scheduled for completion in mid-2008. Notable masterpieces in the show include Rembrandt’s Self-portrait as the Apostle Paulus, Rembrandt’s portrait of his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, and Frans Hals’ Portrait of a Man, possibly Nicolaes Hasselaer.

The exhibition also includes a number of striking self-portraits not only by Rembrandt, but also by Jan Steen, Adriaen van der Werff and Gerard Dou. Portraits of the artists by their fellow painters provide an interesting insight into the world of the Golden Age. These paintings offer a fascinating opportunity to see the individual artist, his working environment and living conditions as seen through the eyes of their contemporaries in the 17th century.

A selection of still life paintings demonstrates the subjects and painting techniques for which Dutch painting is so famous. Pieter Claesz was one of the most prominent painters in this appealing and still-popular genre, and is represented by Still Life from 1647. Still Life with Flowers, a masterpiece by painter Rachel Ruysch, underscores the fact that the Dutch Republic boasted several women painters who produced work of high quality for an international clientele.

The Dutch landscape inspired many generations of artists. Outstanding examples of these landscapes include Jan van Goyen’s View of a Town on a River and Jacob van Ruisdael’s Rocky Landscape.

Many Dutch painters drew inspiration from the art of Caravaggio (1573-1610), the great Italian painter working in Rome who made chiaroscuro – the contrasting effect of light and dark – the principal means of _expression in his art. Hendrick Ter Brugghen’s powerful Doubting Thomas assimilates Caravaggio’s style in his dramatic rendition of this religious theme. Rembrandt, too, used Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro technique in his dramatic St. Peter’s Denial.

Some Dutch artists profited not only by creating portraits commissioned by the wealthy members of society but also from paintings of country houses owned by their patrons. These elegant renderings of the upper class, however, are a stark contrast to the outdoor scenes and interiors portraying the daily lives of peasants. Dutch painting also reflected the private sphere of hearth and home. Nicolaes Maes’s Woman Spinning, for example, creates an intimate look at home life while capturing the simple beauty of an everyday activity.

The prosperity of Dutch society in the 17th century is also seen in the variety of decorative arts objects from the Rijksmuseum collection. Spectacular silver showpieces, including a ewer made by Utrecht silversmith Adam van Vianen, are displayed in the exhibition. These traditional objects gave way to silver objects designed more like sculptures. Other decorative arts objects include sculptures, delftware and several examples of glass.

The main focus of the exhibition is Rembrandt, arguably the most memorable and revered artist in history. During his career, Rembrandt created more than 80 self-portraits. His etchings were popular throughout Europe and even more admired and collected than his paintings.

Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art includes eight of Rembrandt’s etchings from the Riksmuseum collection. In addition, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Alabama, has generously loaned 43 Rembrandt etchings to The Dayton Art Institute for this exhibition.