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Dutch Masters arrive at Hermitage Amsterdam
Hermitage Amsterdam begins installing the exhibition Dutch Masters from the Hermitage
Hundreds of years after being purchased by the tsars of Russia, the Dutch Masters from the Hermitage will be back in the Netherlands for a brief time. On Friday morning 29 September, a secure transport carrying masterpieces by Rembrandt, Gerard Dou and Adriaen van Ostade arrived at the Hermitage Amsterdam. These paintings will be part of the exhibition Dutch Masters from the Hermitage. Treasures of the Tsars, featuring 67 works by 51 different Dutch Golden Age artists. KLM Cargo has provided transport for a number of pieces in the exhibition.
Rembrandt’s Flora (1634), one of the iconic works in the State Hermitage collection, was unpacked today. The artist painted this stunning portrait of a woman believed by experts to be his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, shortly after their marriage. The work undoubtedly had special significance to the newlyweds: it portrays a young woman with wavy hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back, dressed in a magnificent gown and crowned with a lush garland of flowers.
Preparations for the exhibition are now in full swing. Dutch Masters from the Hermitage can be seen at the Hermitage Amsterdam from Saturday 7 October 2017 to Sunday 27 May 2018.
Cathelijne Broers, director of the Hermitage
Amsterdam:
‘Transporting this many Dutch masterpieces is a very
complex operation. In the past, these works were transported by ship, but now
they are coming by road and by air, subject to strict rules and heavy security,
which KLM has a lot of experience with.’
Marcel de
Nooijer, director of KLM Cargo:
‘KLM considers it important to invest in the
preservation of cultural heritage. This partnership with the Hermitage of
Amsterdam is an example of such an investment. It fills us with pride that KLM
Cargo is transporting these works so that they can be admired by all after more
than three hundred years.’
Dutch Masters from the Hermitage
The exhibition Dutch Masters from the Hermitage.
Treasures of the Tsars promises to be a feast of old favourites and new
discoveries. The 67 paintings by no fewer than 51 famous Dutch Masters of the
Golden Age, including six works by Rembrandt, are highlights from the collection
of the State Hermitage in St Petersburg. They demonstrate the Tsars’ passion
for Dutch painting. Most of the paintings are on permanent display at the State
Hermitage and have not been exhibited in the Netherlands since they were
purchased by the Tsars. Their brief return ‘home’ to the Netherlands is a
unique event.
