€160 million Rembrandt couple to make July debut in Amsterdam
The wedding portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit will be on display in the Rijksmuseum for the first time on July 2nd, Minister Jet Bussemaker of Education, Culture and Science announced on De Wereld Draait Door on Thursday.
The two Rembrandt paintings were jointly purchased by the Netherlands and France for a massive 160 million euros. They spent the first three months after the purchase in the Louvre in Paris. During their first three months in Amsterdam, the paintings will be given a place of honor next to the Night Watch, according to Het Parool. In October they will be moved to the Rijksmuseum's restoration workshop for restoration.
The Netherlands and the Rijksmuseum initially wanted to buy the two portraits from the French noble Rothschild family together, with each party paying half of the 160 million euros. But when France also showed an interest in the portraits, the Rijksmuseum withdrew.
The two countries eventually bought the paintings together, with Maerten belonging to the Netherlands and Oopjen to France. The agreement between the Netherlands and France states that the two portraits will never be separated and will take turns being displayed in the two countries.
