Celebrating the Re-opening of the Rijksmuseum

After a ten year of reconstruction, renovation and restoration, the Rijksmuseum has finally reopened this April. First opened in 1885, it houses a huge collection of the Dutch Masters including work by Rembrandt van Rijn. Rembrandt's world famous painting "Night Watch", painted in 1642, hangs in the centre of the building. In this colossal painting Rembrandt used chiaroscuro, the effective use of light and shadow and by arrangement and positioning the characters, created an effect of motion.

The painting was removed from the museum in September 1939, at the outbreak of World War ll. The canvas was detached from its frame, rolled around a cylinder and was stored in a castle north of Amsterdam. At the end of the war the canvas was remounted, restored and returned to its original place. During this renovation of the museum, the Night Watch was temporary moved to a another location for viewing while the refurbishing took place. Since the reopening, the Night Watch is back in its place in the Nachtwachtzaal, the hall of the Night Watch and it is high on our list of things to see this summer.