Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt’s Shadow

The Milwaukee Art Museum pays tribute to a largely overlooked Dutch master with its exhibit “Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt’s Shadow,” which opens today. A contemporary of Rembrandt van Rijn, Lievens has featured as little more than a footnote beneath the name of his illustrious compatriot. Benefiting from advances in picture dating technology, the restoration of key paintings and the emergence of new biographical documents, the exhibit not only helps subvert popular perceptions of the relationship between Lievens and Rembrandt but also prompts a more rigorous understanding of the context within which they worked. More than 50 of Lievens' oil paintings and around 80 prints and drawings are on display.