Webspecials are unique presentations of works of art, owned or loaned by the Rijksmuseum. These webspecials are created on the occasion of new exhibitions, the publication of a book, the acquisition of new objects and many more reasons.
Most popular webspecials
The Masterpieces online
While the restoration of the main building is underway, the Rijksmuseum will display the crème de la crème of its permanent collection in the newly furnished Philips Wing. Rijksmuseum, The Masterpieces offers a unique opportunity to view all the highlights of the Golden Age in one place. Warm up for The Masterpieces with our online presentation, or use it to round off your visit. See the web exhibition
Accessorize!
The web exhibition 'Accessorize!' comprises 250 masterpieces from the museum's fashion accessory collection. The special will display accessories such as gloves, bags, shoes, cashmere scarves, hats and glasses, as well as antique pieces including fans, parasols, skirt lifters, shoe-buckles and bouquet holders. See the web exhibition
Rembrandt-Caravaggio
Two heavywights of the 17the-century art world juxtaposed: the Italian Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio (1571-1610), and the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). For the first time ever the paintings of these two artists are presented side by side: a unique opportunity to compare different aspects of their work and their lives. See the web exhibition
The Rijkswidget
The Rijksmuseum is proud to announce that it is the first museum in the world to offer a 'widget'. A widget is a tiny and usually well-designed computer program. For instance, there are widgets that provide news updates or weather forecasts, or that serve as a calculator, etc.
The Rijkswidget only does one thing, but that one thing is absolutely splendid: it allows you to view a different work from the collection every day. And the 'reverse side' of every work provides more information about the work and the painter. Visit the Rijkswidget
Expositions / Acquisitions
Rembrandt & Degas
The French Impressionist Edgar Degas (1834-1917) is famous above all for his paintings and small bronzes of ballerinas and women bathing. Less well known is his fascination for self portraits. Degas's interest in this theme can be traced back to his encounter with the work of Rembrandt (1606-1669). Learn how the young Rembrandt got his equally young colleague Degas thinking, over two centuries later. See the web exhibition
Rembrandt & Jan Six
In 1654, Rembrandt created his famous portrait of Jan Six. That painting is not the first portrait he made of Six: he had immortalized the 29-year-old Six in an etching in 1647. Read about the development of Rembrandts print and various other portrait etchings of the 1640's and 50's. See the web exhibition
For the Love of God: Damien Hirst
In 2008 the Rijksmuseum presented 'For the Love of God', the celebrated diamond encrusted skull by Britain's Damien Hirst. The show brought the world premier of the work's international tour to Amsterdam. To accompany the exhibition Hirst had chosen a personal selection from the Rijksmuseum's collection of 17th-century art. See the web exhibition
Two Japanese temple guardians
The Rijksmuseum is the first museum in Europe to acquire sculptures of Japanese temple guardians. These two magnificent wooden carvings, each over two metres tall and weighing 175 kilos, watched over the Buddhist temple of Iwayaji in West Japan. See the web exhibition
Farewell Exhibition for Ronald de Leeuw
View in the webspecial a top selection from twelve years acquisitions, which has been acquired during the directorate of Ronald the Leeuw. Each object is commented personally by Ronald the Leeuw (audio). See the web exhibition
Our guest: Titian
1567: Jacopo Strada, conservator of the imperial collections in Vienna, stays with his son Ottavio in Venice. Both seize the chance of letting portray themselves by two of the most famous Venetian painters. Jacopo chose for Titiaan, Ottavio chose for Tintoretto. Examine in this webspecial the portraits close by and find out more concerning the background, composition and style of painting. See the web exhibition
Jan van der Heyden, artist and inventor
Jan van der Heyden's Amsterdam, the promotion of the new fire hose and all the paintings and drawings of the exhibition Fire! See the web exhibition
Rembrandt: Portrait of Catrina Hoogsaet
The painting up close. Read more about Catrina's life, her clothes, jewellery and parakeet. See an x-ray photo of the painting. See the web exhibition
All drawings by Rembrandt
The collection is one of the most important Rembrandt collections in the world. The works are rarely put on public display due to the light-sensitive nature of the drawings. In connection with the exhibition, a new publication will be released in the Rijksmuseum's "dossier" series: Rembrandt and the art of drawing. See the web exhibition
All paintings by Rembrandt
All the Rembrandt paintings For the first time in many years all the Rembrandt paintings held by the Rijksmuseum are shown together in one See the web exhibition
Fashion DNA
From 1 August to 22 October 2006 the Rijksmuseum and the Nieuwe Kerk presented a remarkable exhibition: 'Fashion DNA'. This was the first fruit of a two-year cooperative agreement. See the web exhibition
Really Rembrandt?
The online special offers three case studies. In these, it is explained why the Bust of a laughing young man, the Portrait of a man, and Samson and Delilah, once acquired as genuine 'Rembrandts', are no longer attributed to the master. See the web exibition
Vulcanus
The Rijksmuseum has examined 13 of the sculptures in its collection using neutron tomography, a technique that allows researchers to look at these bronze objects in a completely new way. Neutron tomography has never before been used for this purpose, making the Rijksmuseum the first museum in the world to transmit its 16th- and 17th-century sculptures with neutrons. See the web exhibition
