The exhibition “Rembrandt’s Orient”, which just closed at Kunstmuseum Basel and will be on view soon at Museum Barberini in Potsdam, examines how the painters of the Dutch Golden Age reacted to the areas of the Near, Middle and Far East that had come into view through trade, travel and publications in the 17th century. Curated by Bodo Brinkmann, Gabriel Dette and Gary Schwartz, the exhibition features works by Rembrandt and his colleagues and students, and also includes publications and other sources that illustrate the contemporary vision of the Orient.

In three short videos the curators Bodo Brinkmann and Gabriel Dette present highlights of the show. In the second video, Gabriel Dette (Assistant Curator, Old Masters, 15th-18th Centuries at Kunstmuseum Basel) explains what Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting “David Offering the Head of Goliath to King Saul” has to do with a copper engraving by Peter Paul Rubens. (in German with english subtitles).

Rembrandt’s Orient – West Meets East in Dutch Art of the 17th Century at Kunstmuseum Basel | Neubau. Highlights (2/3), February 3, 2021.

–– Right-click (Mac: ctrl-click) this link to download Quicktime video file.