Rembrandt museum in Amsterdam turns into a tattoo parlour

The unique initiative lets people get a skin ink reproduction of the Baroque artist

Museum Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam is the premier hub for all things related to one of the most renowned Dutch artists – Rembrandt van Rijn. For a week only, its management has decided to give art lovers the chance to own a piece of the painter’s art through The Poor Man’s Rembrandt project. And the essence of this project? Tattoos.

From 19 to 25 June, people interested in getting inked with a design based on the Baroque artist’s work can head to the museum, whose building once housed Rembrandt’s studio itself. There, the Schiffmacher & Veldhoen Tattooing team have temporarily set up their studio as an agreement with the museum.

An affordable piece of classical art

The name of the initiative comes from a saying, attributed to an old tattoo artist, who quipped that tattoos are “the poor man’s Rembrandt”. Indeed, high art was always the domain of wealthy patrons – something that holds true back in the 17^th century as it does today.

However, the proliferation of tattoos in contemporary culture has actually spread art to the masses, turning many people into connoisseurs, owners and even canvases for quality artworks.

“Worldwide, more tattoos are sold than works of art to hang on your wall. Many people also build up a real collection of tattoos from specific tattoo artists. They come to us because they want to add Schiffmacher & Veldhoen to their life-long collection,” explains Henk Schiffmacher, one of the tattoo artists behind the project.

In his view, this is a unique moment where grand art and small art can come together. The tattoo team is very experienced in their own right and has generated a reputation for quality work. The designs they will offer at the Rembrandt Museum are all based on the artist’s works.

People interested in getting tattooed can first have a look at the designs here (scroll to the bottom of the page). Among the designs, you can find original etchings by Rembrandt, his signature and monogram.

The prices of the tattoos range from 100 to 250 euros. A deposit of 50 euros is requested at the time of booking. You are required to reserve an available time slot with your preferred artist. You can do so here.

A number of spots are also available for spontaneous walk-ins.