The first exhibition of the mysterious 17th-century artist.

One of the great mysteries of 17th-century Dutch art is the identity of the artist who signed their paintings with the initials I.S. The works of this enigmatic master are in major art collections, although their known output is not very extensive.

The exhibition Master I.S. – The enigmatic contemporary of Rembrandt at Serlachius is the first comprehensive overview of the artist’s career. The exhibition also presents a number of contextual paintings by other Dutch artists. The exhibition and research project are realised in collaboration with Museum de Lakenhal in Leiden, the Netherlands. The exhibition is curated by Tomi Moisio.

The first comprehensive overview of the artist’s work

The artist who signed their works with the monogram I.S. is believed to have resided in the city of Leiden in the Netherlands during the 1620s and 1630s. Their works show significant influences from renowned Dutch artists Jan Lievens and Rembrandt, who lived and worked in the city c. 1625–1630/31.

The new research project has explored the artist’s works and identity more extensively than ever before. The research began with the Serlachius seminar held in spring 2022, the topics of which included the Fine Arts Foundation’s old European art.

With the international research project, 25–30 paintings have been identified that are known or believed to be created by Master I.S. Some of the works have disappeared and are known only from black-and-white photographs. The exhibition is the first in which a significant part of the artist’s work has been gathered in one place. After Serlachius, the exhibition will continue in the autumn at Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden.

The Serlachius exhibition includes eighteen paintings from various collections across Europe and from Canada. Fourteen of these are attributed to Master I.S. Additionally, the exhibition features four other paintings that provide a basis for comparison of the works. These works are by Jan Lievens, Gerrit Dou, and David Bailly.