Image: Rembrandt, Self-portrait in a cap, wide-eyed and open-mouthed (detail), 1630. Etching and drypoint, 5.1 x 4.4 cm. CC0 Paris Musées / Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris
The Royal Academy of Arts will present ‘Rembrandt: Radical Printmaker’ in London from 9 April to 19 September 2027, dedicating an exhibition to the Dutch artist’s work in print. The announcement frames Rembrandt’s prints as among his most expressive works, placing them at the centre of a presentation that spans landscapes, nudes, animals, self-portraits and religious scenes.
The exhibition is described as an exploration of Rembrandt’s willingness to take risks in his printmaking. According to the Royal Academy’s announcement, mistakes and experimentation helped energise the artist’s work, suggesting a focus on process as well as subject matter. The Royal Academy’s exhibition page says the show will bring together more than 120 of Rembrandt’s works, rarely displayed all at once; no full list of lenders is given.
Rembrandt is widely remembered through his paintings, but the exhibition’s premise asks visitors to consider the prints as a distinct and particularly revealing part of his practice. Its range of subjects will bring together images of the natural world, the human body, religious narratives and the artist himself, offering a thematic view rather than one limited to a single category of print.
The Royal Academy’s accompanying material identifies a 1630 ‘Self-portrait in a cap, wide-eyed and open-mouthed’ as a featured image for the exhibition. The work is described as an etching and drypoint measuring 5.1 by 4.4 centimetres, with the image credited to Paris Musées and the Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. The caption states that the exhibition is organised by the Royal Academy of Arts and the Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris Musées.
The show will take place at the Royal Academy of Arts at Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The institution’s announcement says tickets are now on sale. ‘Rembrandt: Radical Printmaker’ will remain on view for more than five months, closing on 19 September 2027.
