The Rembrandt Experience

The Rembrandt Experience was the prize of our painting contest during the Year of Rembrandt in 2019. After three years of Covid restrictions, the event could finally take place in 2022.

The Year of Rembrandt was back in 2019, since it had been 350 years since the death of Rembrandt, the famous Dutch painter. In the same year, the professional paint brand Rembrandt celebrated its 120th anniversary. Throughout the year 2019, Royal Talens and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam celebrated the Year of Rembrandt together, organising various activities and events to celebrate the Dutch artist.

The Rembrandt Experience

One of the events we organised was a worldwide painting contest. The winners were awarded with the Rembrandt Experience: an all-inclusive two-day trip to the Netherlands. This trip included one day at our factory where Rembrandt pastels, watercolours, oil and acrylic paints are made. The winners were invited to tour the factory and afterwards received a Rembrandt masterclass.

The second day, our winners joined a trip to Amsterdam, which included a boat tour through the canals of Amsterdam, a visit to the house Rembrandt lived in and an exclusive dinner at the Rijksmuseum in the hall of honour in front of Rembrandt’s most famous painting: The Night Watch. During the dinner, the artists were offered the opportunity to exhibit their work in the Rijksmuseum as well.

Watch the video below to get an impression of these two days.

Participants

The Year of Rembrandt painting contest was judged by Merel Jansen, Justyna Pennards, Katja van Strijk from Royal Talens and Erik Hinterdink from the Rijksmuseum.

Winners

Below are the winners of the contest:

Namchai Saensupha (Thailand)
Geert Lesage (Belgium)
Gustavo Pacheco Ramos (USA)
Juan Carlos Morales Reséndiz (Mexico)
Justus Von Karger (Germany)
Lluís Pericó (France)
Sašo Vrabič (Slovenia)

We were so impressed by all of the works that were submitted for the contest, we decided to buy one of them. “Memory” by Juan Carlos Morales Reséndiz showcases a realistic composition with Rembrandt soft pastel wrappers. We could hardly believe this painting was created using Rembrandt soft pastels as well!

Memory by Juan Carlos Morales Reséndiz

Find out more about the artists’ works here!

Ambassadors

Our talented Year of Rembrandt ambassadors were present at the dinner and exhibited their work as well:

Vladimir Volegov (Russia)
Cliff Deun (the Netherlands)
Fabien Audebrand (France)
Jonathan de Cesare (Belgium)
Max Hale (United Kingdom)
Julia Barminova (Russia)
Merel Jansen (the Netherlands)
Ghazi Baker (Lebanon)
Chatchawan Rodklongtan (Thailand)
Michelle Dunaway (USA)

We want to thank all winners and participants of the contest for the hard work and artistry they showcased in their entries. Our gratitude also goes out to our ambassadors who have made the Year of Rembrandt a great success and of course to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam for their hospitality and participation in the organisation of this wonderful event. We look forward to hosting many more contests like this one.

Watch the video below for an impression of the Rembrandt Experience.