This first-of-its-kind exhibition uses the paintings of Rembrandt and his contemporaries to help us envision life in the little Dutch settlement that would become New York.
This first-of-its-kind exhibition uses the paintings of Rembrandt and his contemporaries to help us envision life in the little Dutch settlement that would become New York.
Exactly 400 years ago the Dutch founded the city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. In Europe at that same time they were revolutionizing art, with Rembrandt and his contemporaries turning a keen eye to the world around them. This first-of-its-kind exhibition uses their paintings to help us envision life in the little Dutch settlement that would become New York. With works by Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen, many of them never before shown in New York, the exhibition will dazzle and delight viewers. Let the Old Masters introduce you to New Amsterdam.
Accompanying the exhibition is a digital reimagining of the 1660 Castello Plan of New Amsterdam. Created in partnership with the New Amsterdam History Center, this interactive map lets visitors explore sites in the 17th century city, including a house where enslaved Africans lived, the original City Hall, and the Indian Trading House. Curated by Russell Shorto, Director of the New Amsterdam Project at The New York Historical, and Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., Senior Advisor to The Leiden Collection.
With deepest gratitude to The Leiden Collection. And with thanks to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Matthew and Susan Weatherbie, Allen Hirsch, and Dinko Podrug.
Major support for Old Masters, New Amsterdam is provided by the Society of Daughters of Holland Dames, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, and Trinity Church NYC. Important support is provided by Lisa and Jeff Bewkes, Eric Blair-Joannou, Richard Brown and Mary Jo Otsea, Michael Glass, The Derald H. Ruttenberg Foundation, Dafna and Michael Schmerin, Ernest Tollerson and KatrinkaLeefmans, Jane and Stuart Weitzman, and Anita Wien. Additional support is provided by The David and Lynne Weinberg Family Foundation. This project is supported by Dutch Culture USA, a program by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United States. This project has also received funding through a grant from the Netherland-America Foundation.
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
Media sponsor:
![John Dickinson, A Declaration [. . .] Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity [of] Taking up Arms (Philadelphia: Bradford, 1775). Photograph by Vincent Dilio. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd17xep5pb0e8k3.cloudfront.net%2FaJOU2KTt2nPbZ7gB_15-04092025_a_declaration_by_representatives_of_united_colonies_philadelphia_1775_C_001b.jpg%3Fauto%3Dformat%252Ccompress%26rect%3D291%252C1814%252C3548%252C1602%26w%3D2000%26h%3D903%26q%3D80&w=1200&q=75)
![John Dickinson, A Declaration [. . .] Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity [of] Taking up Arms (Philadelphia: Bradford, 1775). Photograph by Vincent Dilio. Courtesy of David M. Rubenstein.](https://d17xep5pb0e8k3.cloudfront.net/aJOU2KTt2nPbZ7gB_15-04092025_a_declaration_by_representatives_of_united_colonies_philadelphia_1775_C_001b.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=291%2C1814%2C3548%2C1602&w=2000&h=903&q=80)
