Rijksmuseum

Rembrandt’s self-portrait ‘on display’

A Rembrandt self-portrait bought from the Rothschild family with 150 million euros ($162 million) of Dutch state cash went on display at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum on June 15.

The Netherlands agreed to buy "The Standard-Bearer" with public money in 2022, after Paris cleared its sale despite the painting being considered as a "national treasure" in France.

Lost parts of Rembrandt masterpiece restored by AI

It's one of the great acts of art vandalism. In 1715 large chunks of Rembrandt's masterpiece "The Night Watch" were cut off in order to fit the colossal canvas into a new home.

Now for the first time in more than 300 years, visitors to Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum can see the painting in its original form thanks to a stunning reconstruction of the lost pieces.

In COVID-19 darkness, gift of a 'Moment of Light' to museum

If not for the pandemic, Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum would have missed out on a classic Dutch 16th-century painting it so badly craved.

Instead, the work now graces a central hall of one of the world's most famous cultural institutions -- all because of a wealthy dealer in old masters elected to pay a very unusual tribute to COVID-19 victims.