A team of tattoo artists is bringing Rembrandt van Rijn’s paintings and etchings onto human skin at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, where the Dutch master lived and worked for 19 years. The two-week pop-up, called the “Poor Man’s Rembrandt Project,” offers visitors designs priced at roughly $110 to $390.
The project is led by tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher, known professionally as Hanky Panky, alongside Tycho Veldhoen, Morrison Cheyenne Schiffmacher, Rupa van Teylingen, Frederik Moens and Olof Arrevik. It is the second edition of the project, following an initial run in 2023.
Visitors can choose from designs inspired by details across Rembrandt’s work, including lions, windmills, sailors and merchants. Options also include Hanksen, an elephant depicted by Rembrandt, as well as the artist’s self-portraits and signature. Most tattoos are selected from sheets of prepared designs.
One participant, 28-year-old Bo Kwakernaak, was chosen for a free full-back tattoo based on Rembrandt’s 1633 etching The Descent from the Cross. The scene shows people lowering Jesus from the cross. The artists expect the work to take about 20 hours across several sessions, with the final session scheduled to take place at the museum on November 7.
Museum director Milou Halbesma described the project as a way to share the craft of Rembrandt and his students more widely, connecting the museum’s focus on craftsmanship with contemporary Amsterdam tattoo artists. The project is running at the Rembrandt House Museum through November 7, 2026.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine.