Visitors to Kenwood over the past few weeks will doubtless have noted the absence of a familiar face from the walls.
For the first time since 2019, Self-portrait with Two Circles by Rembrandt (c1665) has left Kenwood for loan to a major new exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Rembrandt and Hoogstraten: Colour and Illusion is the the first time the Kunsthistorisches Museum (colloquially known as the KHM) has staged an exhibition focusing on the work of the greatest of all 17th century Dutch masters, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669).
The show, which opens on October 8 and runs until January 12, 2025, examines how the powerful art of Rembrandt left a lasting impression on one of his most gifted pupils Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678).
Exploring the fascinating interplay between the master and his student, the exhibition focuses on the remarkable effects of colour and mind-boggling illusionistic techniques with which Rembrandt and Hoogstraten captivated audiences then and now.
With loans from the National Gallery, London, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Louvre, Paris and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Kenwood’s Self-Portrait with Two Circles is in good company.
The innovative approach to examining Rembrandt’s work, the scholarly ambition and creativity of the exhibition and calibre of the other paintings that will hang alongside the Kenwood self-portrait were all key considerations in English Heritage’s decision to lend. As was the potential audience for the exhibition; in 2023, the KHM welcomed more than 1.6 million visitors from around the world, making it one of the most visited museums on the planet.
Still, at English Heritage, we recognised that Rembrandt’s masterpiece would be sorely missed by visitors to Kenwood, both regulars and first-timers; so what to do to mitigate the absence of the painting?
Happily, the KHM generously agreed to collaborate with English Heritage on a once-in-a-lifetime double loan and in late September, a new face arrived at Kenwood in the shape of Peter Paul Rubens’ final Self-Portrait (1638/40).
Like Rembrandt, Flemish-born Rubens (1577-1640) was one of the most brilliant and versatile artists of his generation, and like his Dutch counterpart, Rubens nurtured his own profile, using self-portraiture to carefully craft an image of himself.
However, while Self-Portrait with Two Circles shows Rembrandt simply as a painter in his studio, holding the tools of his trade, Rubens never depicted himself as a painter, nor showed himself with his tools or at work in his studio. Instead, his self-portraits focus on his social status and intellectual accomplishments.
As well as running a large and prosperous studio, Rubens spoke multiple languages, criss-crossed a warring Europe as a diplomat and was recognised by kings and queens with knighthoods and honours. With his extraordinary final self-portrait, in which the artist appears clad in fashionable black, gazing self-assuredly out at the viewer, Rubens seemingly wished to show how far his talent, ambition and accomplishments had taken him.
The loan to English Heritage marks the first time the painting has been on display in the UK since the late 1940s and visitor to Kenwood can enjoy it, free of charge, daily from now until mid-January 2025.
- Louise Cooling is the curator at Kenwood (english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/kenwood)
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