Rembrandt’s etchings have long been treasured for their technical innovation and perceptive portrayal of the human psyche. They have figured prominently in many American academic museum collections, in part because they reward intensive study. Lines of Inquiry: Learning from Rembrandt’s Etchings, an exhibition on view this spring at the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College brings together 60 prints by the 17th-century Dutch master from academic museums to examine how Rembrandt’s etchings have remained relevant even as pedagogical priorities have shifted, inspiring multidisciplinary teaching approaches, historical investigations, and technical studies.

This exhibition has been co-organized by the Allen with Cornell University’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art and curated jointly by Oberlin’s Curator of European and American Art Andaleeb Badiee Banta and Andrew C. Weislogel, the Seymour R. Askin, Jr. ’47 Curator of Earlier European and American Art at Cornell. In addition to prints from Oberlin and Cornell, the show includes etchings from Harvard, Princeton, Syracuse, Vassar, Yale, the University of Kansas, the Morgan Library & Museum, and private collections.

Lines of Inquiry highlights both the scope and subtlety of Rembrandt as an etcher of diverse subject matter—including portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, nudes, and religious narratives—who continually experimented with his creative process and materials. The exhibition also explores how technical study of these prints, especially the papers on which they are printed, reveals Rembrandt to be a savvy businessman. Research on watermarks in the paper can provide clues about the timelines of his print production and distribution. The exhibition introduces Cornell’s Watermark in Rembrandt Etchings (WIRE) project, which is designed to digitally facilitate access to Rembrandt watermark scholarship. A catalogue of the exhibition is available for $30 by emailing member.amam@oberlin.edu.

LINES OF INQUIRY: LEARNING FROM REMBRANDT’S ETCHINGS | THROUGH MAY 13

MAIDENFORM TO MODERNISM: THE BISSETT COLLECTION | THROUGH MAY 27

THIS IS YOUR ART: THE LEGACY OF ELLEN JOHNSON | THROUGH MAY 27

A CENTURY OF ASIAN ART AT OBERLIN: JAPANESE PRINTS | THROUGH JULY 1

HOURS: Tuesday to Saturday 10 AM–5 PM; Sunday 1–5 PM; closed Mondays

Allen Memorial Art Museum

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Oberlin, Ohio 44074

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