Rembrandt House Museum
The Rembrandt House Museum is a museum dedicated to the famous Dutch painter and etcher. Rembrandt lived in the house for number of years and created some of his finest artworks in the house. The Rembrandt House Museum is definitely a must see if visiting the city of Amsterdam. It is located in Jodenbreestraat close to the Stopera.
The building housing the Rembrandt House Museum was home to the artist from 1639 to 1658 when he bankrupted. The house was auctioned, while Rembrandt moved to a small rented house where he lived until his death in 1669. The building was used by several families and went through many alterations by the end of the 19th century. In 1906 it was bought by the City of Amsterdam and handed over to a foundation Stichting Rembrandthuis one year later. The foundation restored the house and Queen Wilhemina opened the museum displaying Rembrandt’s print collection in 1911.
The museum’s collection grew over the following years through donations and purchases, and besides collection of Rembrandt’s etchings, drawings and copper plates also includes paintings by Rembrandt’s teacher Pieter Lastman, and the artist’s pupils and contemporaries. In recent years the museum also started collecting works of Pre-Rembrandists, artists that worked in the city of Amsterdam before Rembrandt as well as of artists that were influenced by Rembrandt’s artworks.
A new wing was built in the 1990’s to house exhibition galleries, offices, library, secretarial department and the Rembrandt Information Centre which enabled the restoration of the former Rembrandt’s home in its original appearance. The restoration that based on the inventory that was compiled in 1656 due to artist’s bankruptcy and some of his drawings and etchings was completed in 1999.
The Rembrandt House Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.