A Glimpse into The Kremer Collection

Exploring Dutch Museums and Galleries

Rembrandt's Scratches

With friends, I went to the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar to admire the Kremer Collection. This collection is a private one, on loan to the museum, containing approximately 100 Dutch and Flemish masterpieces from the Dutch Golden Age. George and Ilone Kremer have been building this collection since 1994. Their stunning collection can also be seen online at The Kremer Collection VR.

It was my first time visiting the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. It’s one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands. However, the museum relocated to a beautiful modern building in the city center in 2000. Since we had limited time, we focused solely on the collection.
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Rembrandt's Scratches

Beyond their shared artistic inspiration, these 20th-century artists faced a tumultuous world. Europe wrestled with (the aftermath of) World War I, the collapse of the German Mark, and the rise of Nazism. Was painting tranquil images how these artists dealt with or could escape the harsh realities of their time?

I loved seeing the enlarged prints of Rembrandt’s copper plates on the wall. Up close, I only saw scratches. But as I stepped back, an image appeared. Can I say this is Pointillism? An art style that gained popularity two centuries later.

When I saw the small copper plate, I realized how meticulous those tiny scratches are and what painstaking work this must have been. I often wonder how many times Rembrandt (or his students) had to start over because they slipped their tool while making a specific scratch. My high school art projects, which I carved on linoleum twice the size of the copper plate, still painfully show all my mistakes. 🙂

Date

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Museum

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar

Location

Canadaplein 1,
1811 KE Alkmaar

Highlight

The Kremer Collection: a love shared (February 14 to June 1, 2025)