The Colour and Illusion exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) features more than just works of art by the great Rembrandt. Explore the skill and creativity of the Dutch master through the expert lens of his student Hoogstraten.
- Around 60 paintings, drawings & prints
- Focus on the use of colour, light & shade
- …and the creation of remarkable impressions & illusions
- Includes new research insights
- Runs Oct 8, 2024 – Jan 12, 2025
- Book a concert experience* for your trip
- See also:
- KHM overview
- Art exhibitions in Vienna
- Printmaking glossary
Colour and Illusion
(Rembrandt’s Girl in a Picture Frame, 1641, The Royal Castle in Warsaw © The Royal Castle in Warsaw – Museum; photo: Andrzej Ring, Lech Sandzewicz. The clever framing and light in the exhibition enhances the 3D effect)
Autumn and Advent is a time when the art museums bring out the crème de la crème exhibitions, as if they prepared all year to serve up a rather lovely Christmas treat.
So we have the gift of Gauguin at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien, for example. Or Chagall and Jim Dine decorating the galleries of the Albertina.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum unwraps the talent of Rembrandt (1606 – 1669). The Dutch painter needs, of course, no introduction. But the Colour and Illusion exhibition is not some random assortment of masterpieces from the archives.
We have, for example, the presence of another painter: Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627 – 1678), who studied under Rembrandt, worked for a while in Vienna, and became an accomplished artist in his own right.
(Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait with Two Circles, c.1665; canvas, 116.3 x 97.2 cm; English Heritage, The Iveagh Bequest (Kenwood, London) © English Heritage. The various self-portraits seem to measure out the artist’s life and experiences through oils)
Hoogstraten wrote a treatise on painting that also covered his time with Rembrandt, giving us an expert witness account of his master’s methods and approaches.
This historical perspective provides a context for the focus of the exhibition: the use of colour and the creation of impressions and illusions in art.
Numerous paintings and other works by the two artists from throughout their artistic evolution allow us to explore and admire their ability within those themes.
The exhibition design brings out the illusionist character of works particular well. So, for example, we have Hoogstraten’s 1653 Old Man in a Window presented embedded in a wall without a frame.
Along with simple enjoyment of some remarkable art, Colour and Illusion adds layers of understanding to the visitor experience through:
- Juxtapositions of Rembrandt and Hoogstraten’s works
- Relationships to the cultural context of the era the artists lived in
- Inputs from modern analysis (a joint research project with Amsterdam’s Rembrandt House Museum actually led to the exhibition)
The 60 or so works on display stem from the in-house collections and numerous prestigious international loans from the likes of the Louvre and the Royal Collection of the British royal family.
Wandering through the exhibition certainly heightens your awareness and understanding of artistic genius and character.
(Samuel van Hoogstraten’s Old Man in a Window, 1653, canvas, 111 × 86.5 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery © KHM-Museumsverband. Even the artist’s signature contributes to the illusionist impression, as if chiseled into the stone of the window)
The more I learn abut Rembrandt, for example, the more affection I feel for him.
Hoogstraten seems all-too-human in his search for idealised aesthetics and social approval.
Rembrandt on the other hand is his own person: not bound by external expectations. He seems to see life as it is as much as how we would like it to be.
A man prepared to go against the grain with, for example, an almost modern approach to brushstrokes or a sympathetic portrayal of an elderly woman (as in 1639’s The Prophetess Anna).
The works and historical context also reveal a playfulness and humanity to the art and artists, dragging them off the page of some austere art history tome and making them real personalities. You can follow the scars of life in Rembrandt’s self-portraits through time, for example.
Fascinating!
Dates, tickets & tips
Enjoy the masterpieces from October 8th, 2024 to January 12th, 2025. Unlike other exhibitions at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, this one needs its own special ticket. Here your options at the time of writing:
- If you already have a valid entrance ticket* for the museum, then you just need to purchase a timeslot ticket from the KHM (either in advance or on site) that comes with a specific date and time for entering the exhibition
- Obviously, your general entrance ticket must be valid for the day/time you define for visiting the exhibition (otherwise you won’t be able to get into the building)
- The small timeslot fee drops to zero if you have an annual pass for the museum
- The KHM also sells combined museum entrance and Rembrandt & Hoogstraten tickets with a timeslot
Do you need to book that timeslot in advance?
It can’t hurt if you know your visit dates. As far as my poor memory allows, I recall available timeslots for the Bruegel exhibition back in 2018/2019 were snapped up quickly. At the Caravaggio exhibition a year later, you could just walk in pretty much anytime.
I suspect Rembrandt might be quite popular, though. And Vienna is growing in popularity as a year-end destination anyway. Which is a long-winded way of saying, yeah, book a timeslot if you can.
Some more tips:
- Just in case you miss the note near the entrance, a vertical line on the wall above a work means it’s from Rembrandt, while a horizontal line means it’s from Hoogstraten
- Don’t forget the permanent picture galleries are full of other masterpieces from the same and similar eras
- Once you’ve had your fill of masterful colour and illusion, have your fill of seasonal food and drink at the lovely Christmas market outside the museum (during the Advent season)
- If you miss out on the exhibition, an adapted version appears at the Rembrandt House Museum in spring 2025
How to get to the Rembrandts
Just follow the travel tips at the end of the main KHM article. The museum on the edge of the central old town.
Address: Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna