Tattoo pop-up returns to Rembrandt House: Second season runs through November
The museum's collaboration with artist Henk Schiffmacher offers designs from the 1630s for between 100 and 350 euros.
By Anthony Shevchenko ·
The Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam is hosting a second edition of The Poor Man's Rembrandt Project through November 7. The pop-up exhibition features tattoos designed by Henk Schiffmacher, also known as Hanky Panky, which are based on artwork by the 17th-century Dutch master.
Schiffmacher inked a design on a visitor this week, marking the return of the project after a successful debut in 2023. The initial event attracted enough interest to prompt the museum to bring the experience back for the current fall season.
The specific design applied to the visitor is a reproduction of an etching titled Self-Portrait with Beret, Wide-Eyed. This piece dates to 1630, when Rembrandt was living in the university city of Leiden and was in his early 20s. The image shows the artist with a surprised expression and curled hair.
Schiffmacher explained that he selected the image because of its simplicity. He noted that Rembrandt created many beautiful and simple studies for larger works, making them suitable for the tattoo medium. The procedure took approximately 30 minutes and cost 200 euros.
Pricing for the project varies depending on the design, with options ranging from 100 to 350 euros. This represents a small fraction of the cost for an original painting by Rembrandt. The tattoo artist has a long history with the medium, having worked on everything from album covers to Delft pottery.
Matt Lodder, a senior lecturer in art history at the University of Essex, described Schiffmacher as a highly respected figure in the tattoo community. Lodder said the artist is known for collecting historic artifacts and organizing early conventions that helped preserve the visual and cultural heritage of tattooing before it became mainstream.
Milou Halbesma, the director of the Rembrandt House Museum, compared the two men to each other. She stated that both are iconic in their respective trades and hold status as local heroes in Amsterdam while also being famous worldwide. Halbesma noted that this combination of local and global recognition is a defining characteristic of both figures.
