Albuquerque, NM - Rembrandt van Rijn is considered one of the greatest painters of all time.  He has also been called “the greatest master of etching” and many people are unaware that his etchings are some of the most inventive and influential of all his works.  Thirty-five rare etchings by Rembrandt on display at The Albuquerque Museum of Art & History in the exhibition Sordid and Sacred: The Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings - Selections from the John Villarino Collection until 7 January, 2007.

Etchings were popular in the seventeenth century and it was etchings, not paintings, that gave Rembrandt an international reputation during his lifetime.  Widely recognized as the greatest practitioner of the etching technique in the history of art, Rembrandt is credited with nearly three hundred etchings and repeatedly chose beggars as the subject of his work.

The etchings in Sordid and Sacred include prints made from copper plate etchings created between 1629 and 1654.  The works give museum visitors the opportunity to see how Rembrandt experimented with inks, paper and the reworking of the copper plates to enhance the visual impact of the imagery.

The year 2006 marks the 400th birthday of the famed Dutch artist. Celebrate the anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth by experiencing his works at The Albuquerque Museum only through January 7, 2007.

Sordid and Sacred: The Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings - Selections from the John Villarino Collection is organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA. 

Visit The Albuquerque Museum of Art & History at www.cabq.gov/museum