THE BOOK
Unlimited Edition of ‘Rijks, Masters of the Golden Age’ Sees Fourth Reprint with Added Wedding Paintings of Rembrandt
Amsterdam 21st October 2020 – Today, internationally renowned design studio Marcel Wanders and publisher Komma proudly announce a 4th reprint of the Unlimited Edition of the studio’s unique art publication ‘Rijks, Masters of the Golden Age’.
Within the 4th reprint of this volume, 20 new pages feature new calligraphy work and two famous wedding paintings of Rembrandt; Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit. These are the only life-size pendant paintings Rembrandt made in 1634, and they were recently purchased by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris.
This reprinting also introduces the world to Pieter Roelofs, Head of Painting & Sculpture of the Rijksmuseum. Through an in-depth interview with Mr Pieter Roelofs, a rich perspective on history, Rembrandt and the Amsterdam lifestyle from back in the earlier days unfolds. Mr Pieter Roeloefs also details the concept and relationship between the paintings and their journey to the Rijksmuseum. His testimony as part of the team of Operation Night Watch, the largest research and conservation project to date for Rembrandt’s masterpiece, elevates the value of this volume. As chairman of the jury, Mr Pieter Roelofs also takes part in the acclaimed Dutch television programme Project Rembrandt, which began its second season in 2020.
This seminal publication has sold out three printings since 2016. The original edition featured sixty-five 17th Century Dutch masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum’s prestigious Gallery of Honour, and commentary from leading contemporary critical thinkers from the worlds of philosophy, art, film, food, trend, business and design. This version also includes featuring writings of Ferran Adrià, David Allen, Alain de Botton, Anton Corbijn, Angela Missoni, Jimmy Nelson, Erwin Olaf and many more, but also introduces new art work and a very special interview.
Crafted with the same luxury, this reprint brings the art and book enthusiast eye to eye with iconic paintings. This publication offers beautiful hand-written calligraphy, and quality printing technique and paper. This Unlimited Edition measures 33,2 x 23,7 x 6,4 cm, has 596 pages and retails € 125,- (incl 9% VAT). It is available at book stores and online.
The full list of contributors is as follows (in alphabetical order):
Ferran Adrià ∙ elBulli Chef
Philip Akkerman∙ Painter
David Allen ∙ Productivity Guru
Pierre Audi ∙ Artistic Director of the Dutch National Opera
Paul Bennett ∙ Chief Creative Officer at IDEO
Jan de Bont ∙ Film Director
Alain de Botton ∙ Philosopher, Critical Thinker
Anton Corbijn ∙ Photographer, Film Director
Marlies Dekkers ∙ Lingerie Designer, Entrepreneur
Wim Delvoye ∙ Visual Artist
Lidewij Edelkoort ∙ Trend Watcher
Han Feng ∙ Fashion Designer
Peter Guidi ∙ Jazz Musician
Christiaan Houtenbos ∙ Hair Stylist
Marko Kassenaar ∙ Art Educator, Author
Natasja Kensmil ∙ Visual Artist
Angela Missoni ∙ Fashion Designer
Jimmy Nelson ∙ Photographer
Angela Neustatter ∙ Journalist, Author
Ryu Niimi ∙ OPAM Museum Director
Erwin Olaf ∙ Photographer
Pieter Roelofs ∙ Head of Paintings Rijksmusuem
Wim Pijbes ∙ Director Rijksmuseum
Joe Pine ∙ Author, Critical Thinker and Lecturer
Jérôme Sans ∙ Curator
Gary Schwartz ∙ Art Historian Golden Age
Nina Siegal ∙ Author, Editor, Journalist
Jan Six ∙ Old Masters Specialist, Curator
Jop Ubbens ∙ Director Christie’s Amsterdam
Marcel Wanders ∙ Product and Interior Designer, Art Director
Zak Yacoob ∙ Former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, Anti-Apartheid Activist
Hand-calligraphy by: Brody Neuenschwander and Massimo Polello
Quotes selection (in alphabetical author order):
“On a plate, as in a painting, there are colours, textures, feelings, volumes, intentions, interactions, dialogues and things left unsaid, composition, thinking, style, influences, intellectual games, stories, trends, interpretations, tastes and memories.
The plate and the painting share almost everything, except for smell and taste.”
Ferran Adrià ∙ elBulli Chef
on Still Life with Cheese (c. 1615) by Floris Claeszoon Van Dijck
“I like the patient brushstroke of the endless bricks.”
“I remember being delighted to be alone with it. It was so modest, so ordinary, so loveable. And as time passes by I like it more and more, because its message of “ordinary life can be good” becomes more important as my life becomes simultaneously more filled with disappointment and more filled with success.”
Alain de Botton ∙ Philosopher, Critical Thinker
on View of Houses in Delft, known as The Little Street (1658) by Johannes Vermeer
“The clouds are dark, leaden and ominous. But through them you see strips of clear blue light settling on the snow and highlighting the horizon. It’s all about the subtle play of light in that painting.
Is it a foreboding of a new Ice Age to come or just the opposite, judging by the lighter horizon?
Pessimism and optimism are both in it.”
Anton Corbijn ∙ Photographer and Film Director
on Winter Landscape (ca. 1665) by Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael
“The coming together of different generations,
with the matriarch at the centre of the scene, is timeless.”
Angela Missoni ∙ Fashion Designer
on The Feast of Saint Nicholas (1665-68) by Jan Havickszoon Steen
“If modernism considers the past irrelevant,
what does that mean tomorrow for the things we create today?”
Marcel Wanders ∙ Product and Interior Designer, and Art Director
