Holm Bevers Books

The Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was one of the greatest draftsman of all time. Even small and quick sketches reveal his incomparable skill in capturing compositions, figures, groups, human gestures, facial expressions and landscapes with just a few strokes. Although some of Rembrandt's drawings served as preparatory studies for paintings and etchings, most are conceptual works in which he investigated motifs of movement and expression, recording ideas for his own works and those produced by pupils in his studio. Encompassing works from Rembrandt's entire career, this compact and exquisitely produced monograph presents the full spectrum of the genres and materials used in the drawings. In addition, recent scholarship has revealed that many drawings once attributed to Rembrandt were in fact done by his pupils. Of the 126 drawings in the important Berlin collection from which this volume draws its illustrations, only 55 are still considered original works by the master. Each of these is presented here within a scholarly text by Holm Bevers. As well, a selection of 25 drawings by Rembrandt's pupils is examined in light of the most recent research.

The Kupferstichkabinett dedicates its fourth summer exhibition to a richly varied and entertaining theme: music as depicted in drawings and prints. The exhibition presents a selection of the museum’s most beautiful and humorous musical images, including prints and drawings by Andrea Mantegna, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Adolph Menzel, Wassily Kandinsky, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, and Morgan O’Hara. In addition to the list of great artists featured, are the names of the great musicians and composers who are depicted in the various works, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Niccolò Paganini. Whole choirs and orchestras complement other soloist works; the repertoire ranges from opera to rock, via café music and jazz, with the recurring leitmotif being the special affinity between musical and pictorial expression in the graphic arts.

Das Rembrandt-Jahr 2006 Rembrandt gilt als der unbestrittene Meister der Druckgraphik. In allen Techniken versiert und mit einer unbezähmbaren Lust am Experiment eroberte er sich die Druckgraphik als das Gebiet des ganz eigenen künstlerischen Ausdrucks unabhängig von den großen Auftritten und Auftragsproduktionen seines übrigen Schaffens. Die Intimität seiner oft persönlichen Radierungen und Stiche erlaubt dem heutigen Betrachter, einen Rembrandt aus nächster Nähe zu erleben. Andererseits muss man wissen, dass die vergleichsweise kostengünstige Produktion und die Verfügbarkeit der Auflagengraphik in den Niederlanden des 17. Jahrhunderts einen regen Handel mit den erschwinglichen Drucken entstehen ließen, den der Maler und Händler Rembrandt geschickt zu bedienen wusste.