Even to the uninitiated, nothing says "significant art exhibition" like a serious boost to security.
That's just what's coming to the Burnaby Art Gallery this fall when it hosts two exhibitions of works by Dutch artists spanning three centuries, including several by master Rembrandt.
From Sept. 7 to Nov. 17, the BAG will be home to Storms and Bright Skies: Three Centuries of Dutch Landscapes, a touring exhibition of works from the National Gallery of Canada, the first such show at the Burnaby venue in over 30 years.
The 65 works on paper from the Ottawa gallery will include several 17th century etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn, the prolific Dutch master believed to have produced upwards of 600 paintings and 2,000 etchings and drawings.
The National Gallery show will be joined concurrently by an exhibit of 17 works titled Inner Realms: Dutch Portraits from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, which features a self-portrait of Rembrandt and one he did of his wife Saskia.
The two shows also feature works by other Dutch masters including Jan van Goyen, Jacob van Ruisdael, Adriaen van Ostade, and Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen. The oldest works are two pen and ink drawingsBird Catchers with Nets and Bird Catchers with an Owl Decoyby Hans Bols dating from 1582.
The National Gallery approached the BAG about bringing its touring show here, said BAG assistant curator Jennifer Cane. "We thought it would be a really groundbreaking exhibition for the Burnaby Art Gallery due to the calibre of the work that's exhibited."
It will be the first time the National Gallery show will have appeared in Western Canada.
"In terms of our climate control, absolutely up to par. We'll also be equipped with high security for the duration of the exhibition," she said of the BAG's ability to accommodate the works. "This is a real first, it's almost like a mini blockbuster."
The BAG will present a related series of speakers who will talk about Dutch landscape and portraiture and in September it will host an outdoor screening of a film on Rembrandt at Civic Square next to the Bob Prittie Metrotown library branch.
"Viewing works from 300 or 400 years before our time, I think it's really insightful. I was definitely struck by the power of the landscapes that are presented," Cane said.
"As far as the portraiture exhibition, it's really humbling to view the oil portraits of individuals from all walks of Dutch society who are now long gone."
Rembrandt suffered from depression, likely related to the loss of several children in infancy and the death of his wife as well as personal ailments, all of which is believed to have influenced the darker, shadowy works he's often known for, Cane said.
However, the brighter works that will be on view at the BAG are from a happier time of his life, earlier in his career.
"The reputation of Rembrandt, in the later part of his life he had these financial hardships and dark times. I think it's really revealing to see a different side of a painter you might not regularly see."
Admission to the shows, as with all BAG exhibitions, will be by donation.
Tourism Burnaby, for one, is hoping the exhibitions will become something of an economic generator for the city.
"Securing the show demonstrates the Burnaby Art Gallery is becoming a leader in works on paper," said Tourism Burnaby executive director Matthew Coyne.
While some in the local arts community have called for a new, modern facility to house the BAG, Coyne said, "what really needs to happen, there needs to be a public display of demand and interest in the arts that is going to prove a compelling reason and opportunity for expansion.
"Until then, it's a great feather in Burnaby and Burnaby Art Gallery's cap to host an exhibit of this magnitude and calibre."
Coyne said it's been about a decade since Rembrandt has been exhibited in Metro Vancouver.
"Hopefully there's some pent-up demand for his work and it's just up to us to get the message out."
Tourism Burnaby is a sponsor of the show. Coyne said the BAG will focus its marketing efforts on Lower Mainland audiences while Tourism Burnaby will work to raise awareness of the show to areas beyond, including Victoria, the Okanagan and Seattle.
Coyne said it's a bonus that the exhibit will come in the fall, after Burnaby's peak tourism season.
"We can enter a bit of a shoulder season with a fantastic exhibition that will hopefully motivate travel into Burnaby and real interest in the Burnaby Art Gallery," he said. "We think it has enough traction as a compelling exhibition to see travel from outside the Lower Mainland."
Go to BurnabyArtGallery.ca for details.
