Tag: rembrandt

431 The transparent connoisseur 9: Keeping an open mind

Gary Schwartz, with Edward Rosser

From a mail of 1 September 2024 from Otto Naumann: “The safest position as a connoisseur is that of a Naysayer.  In this position, one doesn’t have to explain oneself, only say something like ‘I know this artist, and this object is not by him.’ But to say that an item can be attributed to a particular artist is quite another proposal, one that needs a lot of explanation.” A case in point. (Not the one Otto was writing about.)

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427 Rembrandt’s jottings – and a Spinoza invitation

A piece of forgotten Rembrandt research exercises a perverse fascination on Schwartz. He passes it on to you, along with an announcement of a Spinoza symposium on 16 May in Amsterdam. Continue reading “427 Rembrandt’s jottings – and a Spinoza invitation”

329 King Willem’s wall

The Palace of the Academy in Brussels has a secret that was revealed in a magical moment to Schwartz in June 2006. It concerns the greatest princely collection of paintings ever assembled in the Netherlands. In anticipation of an exhibition devoted to that collection, Schwartz now discloses all. Below the line he appeals for a celebration of the centenary of Kazimir Malevich’s abolition of reason. Continue reading “329 King Willem’s wall”