Lecture: Understanding Rembrandt at the National Gallery: A Conservator’s View

Larry Keith, ‎Head of Conservation and Keeper at The National Gallery, London
Sat, February 24, 2018

The way in which Rembrandt handled his paint—whether the immaculate finish of his early works, or the so-called rough manner of his later paintings—has been important to an appreciation of his works. His technical mastery always was valued as a vehicle of expression. As his fame and the value of his works increased over the centuries, the nature of his method also became a principal means of deciding attribution. As such, Rembrandt’s technique has become a subject of study in its own right, one with a fascinating and shifting relationship with contemporary ideas about taste, connoisseurship and conservation. This study, and the significant role played by the National Gallery’s scientists, curators and conservators, is the subject of Larry Keith’s talk.

Presented in conjunction with Rembrandt’s ‘Self Portrait at the Age of 34’ on loan from The National Gallery, London