Kenwood House – Rembrandt #nofilter
For this temporary exhibition we worked with English Heritage to re-frame perceptions of one of Kenwood House’s key paintings, Rembrandt’s Self Portrait with Two Circles. Visitors were encouraged to see the painting in the context of contemporary selfie portraiture, Rembrandt’s unflinching and honest brushwork a contrast to filtered, posed social media selfies.
There is a strong resonance between the painting and the architecture of the space, the circular motif in the Rembrandt echoed in the circular floor motif and the gallery above. Our design proposal plays on the idea of these circles, providing a further circular framing device to focus attention, lens-like, on the painting and help situate it centrally in the space.
Curators: Esme Whittaker & Louise Cooling
Graphic Design: Lombaert Studio
Lighting: TM Lighting
Fabrication: MER Services
Photography: Thomas Adank
Year: 2019