Rijksmuseum starts next phase of public restoration of Rembrandt's The Night Watch

After five years of research and preparation, the Rijksmuseum has started the second phase of its public restoration of the Rembrandt van Rijn masterpiece The Night Watch. On Tuesday, a team of eight Rijksmuseum conservators started removing the varnish from the painting. “Removing the old varnish will enable us to preserve the painting for future generations,” the museum said.

The restoration process is happening in a see-through glass chamber inside the museum. Visitors can follow along live. The conservators use a special type of tissue with a solvent to solubilize and absorb the varnish applied to The Night Watch during its 1975-76 restoration. Then, using a microscope and being painstakingly precise, they remove even older varnish with a cotton swab.

“This moment is the culmination of years of scientific research, applying this technique to other paintings, and conducting tests on The Night Watch itself,” the museum said.

Over the past five years, the Rijksmuseum conservators have studied every inch of The Night Watch using the most advanced technologies, from digital imaging and scientific studies to AI. “This work has led to various breakthroughs in our understanding of the painting’s condition and the artist’s way of working.”

Rijksmuseum director Tacco Dibbits is excited to start the next part of Operation Night Watch. “The restoration phase is filled with anticipation: removing the varnish will expose the eventful history of The Night Watch, and it will be a truly unique experience for the visiting public to be able to follow the process from so close by,” he said.