
DATE: Saturday, June 21, 1997               TAG: 9706210309

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS AND STEPHEN HARRIMAN, STAFF WRITERS 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   79 lines

DUTCH TREAT: CHRYSLER SHOW FEATURES 2 REMBRANDTS

It's a bit like winning the lottery - art-world style:

The rooms that house the magnificent collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington were being refurbished. So the National Gallery accepted proposals from other museums wanting to borrow some fabulous Dutch art for a few months.

And the big winner was - The Chrysler Museum.

As a result, 14 of the National Gallery's Dutch master paintings - including two important Rembrandt portraits - arrived in Norfolk earlier this week. The Chrysler staff will begin hanging the art Monday for ``Rembrandt and the Golden Age,'' which will run July 1 through Nov. 30.

Rembrandt van Rijn is considered the greatest of the 17th-century Dutch painters.

A portrait of a man by Frans Hals is in the show, as are paintings by other masterful contemporaries, including Hendrick Avercamp, Jan van Huysum and Jacob van Ruisdael.

The two Rembrandts - ``Portrait of a Gentleman With a Tall Hat and Gloves'' and ``Portrait of a Lady With an Ostrich-Feather Fan,'' both dated 1658-1660 - were once part of the royal Youssoupoff collection in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1911, art scholar Roger Fry reviewed that collection, and proclaimed the portraits ``of unsurpassed beauty; the women especially must count, I think, among the greatest of all Rembrandt creations.''

The scope of this loan is unprecedented, said Jefferson Harrison, the Chrysler's chief curator, who specializes in European art.

``The National Gallery normally doesn't lend a block of pictures like this to another museum. They're doing it because of a good and long-standing relationship between the two institutions,'' Harrison said.

The collection complements the Chrysler's holdings, which do not include works by these artists.

The ``golden age'' of Dutch painting occurred from about 1600 to 1680, and paralleled the political and economic rise of Amsterdam and the Netherlands, he said. During that time, the country produced thousands of gifted artists.

While their art was a departure from church-sponsored paintings of scenes from the Bible, it reflected a deeply moral society, and was full of symbolism and lessons about proper behavior, Harrison said.

Everyday household items were rendered in crisp detail, to the extent that modern archeologists often refer to paintings from this period to identify 17th-century artifacts.

The National Gallery's Dutch collection was begun more than 60 years ago largely through the gifts of late 19th- and early 20th-century collectors Andrew W. Mellon, P.A.B. Widener and Joseph Widener, his son. Noted for quality rather than quantity, the Washington collection includes seven paintings by Hals, three rare works by Johannes Vermeer and 23 paintings by Rembrandt and his school.

The Chrysler has several related programs for adults and for families during the five-month show. Adult programs include an evening of art and music from the Netherlands Saturday, Aug. 16; a course on the exhibit and the museum's permanent collection on six consecutive Tuesdays beginning Sept. 16; and ``Tulipmania,'' a gardening program with the Norfolk Botanical Garden, Saturday, Nov. 1.

Family programs will be held Sunday afternoons beginning July 13 and will include the study of portraits, Dutch dance and music, pictures in storytelling, and the composition of still-life paintings. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Rembrandt's ``Portrait of a Lady With an Ostrich-Feather Fan'' is

considered one of the artist's finest works .

SCOTT WOLFF/Chrysler Museum

Richard Hovorka, left, Jesse Clark, and Sue Christian prepare for

``Rembrandt and the Golden Age.'' Hovorka and Christian are from the

Chrysler Museum; Clark is from the National Gallery of Art.

Graphic

Want to go?

What: ``Rembrandt and the Golden Age: Dutch Paintings from the

National Gallery of Art''

Where: The Chrysler Museum of Art

When: July 1 to Nov. 30