A classic monograph in the World of Art series, offering a a detailed insight into Rembrandt’s life and work.

Rembrandt is among the few Old Master artists to retain universal appeal among art lovers today, his striking self-portraits lauded the world over – yet he remains an elusive, enigmatic figure.

Here, the distinguished art historian Christopher White carefully considers the known facts to build a sensitive and thorough account of the artist’s life and work. He describes the radiant happiness of Rembrandt’s marriage, tragically cut short by the death of his wife, and discusses the catastrophe of his bankruptcy. The psychological factors that may have awakened Rembrandt’s sudden interest in landscape are also explored, as is the artist’s final decade, when he retreated into the private world of his imagination.

This comprehensive introduction has now been revised and updated to reflect recent scholarship, and the bibliography has been expanded; Rembrandt’s artworks are now faithfully reproduced in colour throughout.

'A vivid, unsentimental biography … an admirable introduction to his paintings … astonishingly well illustrated' - Sunday Times
'The Rembrandt book of “first resort” … excellent' - The Art Newspaper

Christopher White has been Director of the Ashmolean Museum, and Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford since 1985. He has written widely on Dutch art, particularly on Rembrandt, and is also the author of books on Rubens, Van Dyck, Dürer and the English landscape.