The 4th of October 2019 marks the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt’s death (1606–1669). On this occasion, the Hamburger Kunsthalle will present a special showcase of one of the major artists of the Dutch Golden Age. On display will be a selection of outstanding works from the museum’s Old Masters holdings and Prints and Drawings Collection, for example »Simeon and Hannah in the Temple« (1627) and »Maurits Huygens, Secretary to the Council of State in The Hague« (1632), two masterpieces from Rembrandt’s early period in Leiden and Amsterdam. These will be supplemented by the painting »The Expulsion of Hagar« (1612) by Pieter Lastman, who taught Rembrandt for six months in his workshop circa 1625. Exhibited alongside the three paintings will be a selection of around 60 etchings, including landscapes, portraits and works on religious themes.

In total, the Hamburger Kunsthalle’s Prints and Drawings Collection houses more than 300 etchings by Rembrandt. All of them came from the Hamburg art dealer and collector Georg Ernst Harzen (1790–1863), who bequeathed his collection to the City of Hamburg in his will for the eventual founding of the Kunsthalle in 1869, 150 years ago. This important collection of international standing makes it possible to show Rembrandt’s print oeuvre in all its many facets. »Rembrandt: Masterpieces from the Collection« will be presented in a cabinet in the Old Masters galleries and in the Harzen Cabinet.