Despite Rembrandt’s financial collapse and the emotional turmoil of his life in the late 1650s, the artist continued to get commissions from highly placed citizens in Amsterdam. This lecture shows that during this time he painted some of his greatest and most important works. In several of those, Rembrandt exercised his rich historical imagination, creating moving, imaginary portraits of gods, saints, and classical heroes.

In Los Angeles alone, there are no fewer than 14 paintings, a dozen drawings, and nearly 300 etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn. In this series of online lectures for the Hammer Museum, art historian, curator, and museum director John Walsh examines these works and Rembrandt’s career in detail, including recent research, surprise reappearances, and shifting opinions about the artist and his achievements.