Feest ter onthulling van het standbeeld van Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn op het Rembrandtplein te Amsterdam op 27 mei 1852 1852

Popko van Groningen created this print of the celebration of the statue unveiling of Rembrandt van Rijn on Rembrandtplein in Amsterdam, though the exact date of creation is unknown. Van Groningen made this work during a time of growing Dutch nationalism, when celebrating national heroes like Rembrandt was a way to solidify cultural identity. The print depicts a lavish interior space filled with formally dressed attendees. The image not only commemorates Rembrandt, but also reinforces the cultural and class distinctions of 19th-century Dutch society. The celebration becomes a stage for the performance of social status. It subtly emphasizes the importance of Rembrandt to Dutch identity, as well as the economic and cultural power of those who could participate in such an event. The artwork offers a glimpse into the construction of national identity through art, and its role in shaping collective memory. It subtly asks us to consider whose stories are celebrated and whose are left out of the narrative.