The Ackland Art Museum is displaying over 70 drawings dating from the 17th century, with several pieces by famous artist Rembrandt Van Rijn; the exhibit will be on display until December 31.
Rembrandt, who lived in the 1600s, is regarded by many as the most important Dutch artist ever. Rembrandt’s work stands out from other Dutch artists of the same time period due to his varying subjects and styles; Rembrandt was talented at painting not only self-portraits, but also landscapes, historical and biblical scenes and studies of people and animals.
The majority of pieces in the exhibit depict scenes of everyday life, portraits of regular people and typical landscapes. Peter Nisbet, the museum’s Deputy of Curatorial Affairs, expects the exhibit will attract a number of visitors to the Ackland.
“Firstly, there is the ‘big name,’ Rembrandt, but also, the pieces shown here relate to everyday life. Studies of landscapes and people tend to draw more attention to the exhibit than topics such as mythological or religious art,” Nisbet said.
David Antle, Chapel Hill High School’s AP Art History teacher, praised Rembrandt as being one of history’s top ten artists.
“I’ll definitely go [to the exhibit], especially because it’s so close … Rembrandt is famous for his self-portraits, but his large group portraits should also be famous,” Antle said.
The drawings were acquired over a four-decade period by the late Sheldon Peck. The collection, which has about 130 drawings total, was gifted to the Ackland in 2017.
Dana Cowen, the museum’s Sheldon Peck Curator for European and American Art before 1950, describes the opportunity to see these works as “once-in-a-lifetime.”
“To be able to see 74 of the works displayed at the same time is truly a unique opportunity,” Cowen said. “The museum is celebrating the fact that we have so many 17th century drawings, many of which were previously undisplayed, all in the same place open to the public. It’s also great for [the Ackland] to be able to lend these drawings out to the Rembrandt House, where he worked and taught, in Amsterdam.”
The Ackland Art Museum is located at 101 S. Columbia St. in Chapel Hill.
