Views and News - Rembrandt to Sell at Maastricht - Europe

Rembrandt. What a guy. I wonder if he had any idea, quite how much action his work would see centuries after his death; if he had a clue that his name and talent would bare such significance in today’s marketplace? Probably not, at least, not towards the end of his life during those years lived out in poverty. The irony. These days hardly a week passes without something, somewhere across the globe, happening that bares relevance to Rembrandt.

‘Portrait of a Man in a Red Doublet’ (1633), which is up for sale at the European Fine Arts Fair in Maastricht, is expected to fetch over $32.4 million. That means it will probably go for closer to $40 million. In fact, given the sheer rarity of Rembrandts’ up for grabs, it may actually sell for more. After all, the auction scene is enjoying a serious upsurge, while these masterpieces have practically doubled in price over the past decade. As to the Maastricht event, well, there’s a couple hundred art dealers out for fun, so who’s to say what could happen. Even if the painting sells for $30 million, it'll still make a mark. At that cost alone, far surpasses any other that a Rembrandt has sold for in the past.