Original etchings by the 17th century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn will grace the walls of the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts during a special two-week exhibition that is free and open to the public.
More than 60 etchings are on loan from philanthropists Drs. Tobia and Morton Mower of Baltimore who will visit campus, along with their curator, Aaron Young, for related events at the museum.
“A Fortnight of Rembrandt: Selected Etchings from the Mower Collection”opens to the public Friday, Sept. 20, and will be on display through Sunday, Oct. 6.
“Tobia and I are delighted to share our collection with FSU so that others can appreciate Rembrandt’s unparalleled artistic talent and unique ability to capture the lives and times of his era,” said Morton Mower. “With FSU’s longstanding commitment and deep connection to the arts, I have no doubt that these etchings will be in good company as they tell the tales of the subjects he etched so long ago.”
Rembrandt’s “The Windmill” is rendered with such detail that some scholars believe the artist began the etching on site, at the Little Stink Mill in Amsterdam, and finished it in the studio. In “The Pancake Woman,” a dog chases after a child’s pancake while the pancake vendor is indifferent to the chaos.
“Rembrandt is a thrilling prospect. Works by this 17th century artist have become part of our visual lexicon in high art as well as popular culture,” said Allys Palladino-Craig, director of the Museum of Fine Arts.
“His prints of the mighty and the humble, of landscapes and mythological scenes, of Bible stories and character studies are all represented in the remarkable Mower Collection,” she said.
Additional Rembrandt works to be shown at the museum include “The Raising of Lazarus,” “Christ Preaching” and “The Descent from the Cross.”
Avid art collectors, the Mowers have loaned works from their personal collection to a number of universities. The Office of the Vice President for Research is sponsoring the exhibition at Florida State’s Museum of Fine Arts.
“My most sincere appreciation goes out to Drs. Tobia and Morton Mower for allowing their exclusive Rembrandt collection to pay a special visit to FSU’s Museum of Fine Arts,” said Vice President for Research Gary K. Ostrander. “The presence of these selected etchings complements a top-tier research university full of uniquely talented artists, scholars and researchers. The exhibition is representative of our commitment to supporting the act of discovery at FSU, and the many unique ways in which it can occur.”
The chemical technique of etching, which involves acid, an etching needle and more, was developed in the Middle Ages by Arabic armouries as a means of applying decoration to weapons. In Rembrandt’s hands, etching became a fully fledged artistic medium. He created some 290 etchings in addition to hundreds of paintings and drawings.
Born in 1606 in Leiden in the Netherlands to a family of modest means, Rembrandt would become one of the most important Dutch artists in history. He created his etchings between 1626 and 1660. He died in Amsterdam in 1669.
The Museum of Fine Arts will host educational activities and workshops with FSU students and local K-12 students in conjunction with the Rembrandt exhibition.
During the special exhibition, Sept. 20 through Oct. 6, the museum will be open to the public 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours until 7 p.m. on Thursdays; 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
The museum is the east wing of the Fine Arts Building at 530 W. Call St. Visit the museum online or call (850) 644-6836 for more information.