Cuypers 'XL' drawings for the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
In a short film by Quinten Swagerman, Collection department team members unroll three immense drawings by architect Pierre Cuypers, made for the decoration of the façade and interior walls of the Rijksmuseum (1885).
28 February 2023
Unusually, the drawings are full size. So, for example, Rembrandt en zijn school (Rembrandt and his school) measures 6 x 12 metres. Due to the scale and fragility of these sheets, they have scarcely seen the light of day over the past 100 years. The last time was during the restoration work on the Rijksmuseum (2003-2013), which underlines the cultural-historical value of the collection. We are investigating the possibility of restoring the 12 design drawings in this format.
Video: Quinten Swagerman; Camera: Paul Swagerman en Quinten Swagerman; Interview: Isa de Jong; Music: Joel Corelitz.