by Redazione 26/10/2026
Categories: Events / Disclaimer
From October 26 to November 7, 2026, the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam will once again host The Poor Man’s Rembrandt Project: Henk Schiffmacher and his team of tattoo artists will create tattoos inspired by the master’s works.
From October 26 to November 7, 2026, the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam will host “The Poor Man’s Rembrandt Project,”an initiative returning following the success of the 2023 edition. For two weeks, Henk Schiffmacher and his team of tattoo artists (comprising Tycho Veldhoen, Timothy John Englisch, Morrison Cheyenne Schiffmacher, Rupa van Teylingen, Frederik Moens, and Olof Arrevik) will set up a studio in the museum’s modern wing, offering the public the chance to get tattoos inspired by the master’s works. Prices range from 100 to 350 euros; a 50-euro deposit is required to book a time slot. A limited number of walk-in slots are available each day, but the museum recommends booking an appointment in advance.
To celebrate the project’s return, a free tattoo covering the winner’s entire back has also been awarded. The chosen image is *The Descent from the Cross* from 1633. The work is being carried out over several sessions by tattoo artists from Schiffmacher & Veldhoen in Amsterdam and St. Catherina in Antwerp. The final session is scheduled for November 7, during Museumnacht, the city’s museum night.
The initiative is based on the technical similarities between engraving and tattooing: both practices begin with a drawing and transfer an image onto a surface using ink and specific tools. While Rembrandt engraved his compositions onto copper plates to print them on paper, tattoo artists work on the skin, transforming it into a surface that preserves the image for a lifetime.
The choice of the house-museum as the project’s venue also echoes the history of the building on Jodenbreestraat. In the 17th century, Rembrandt worked here alongside his assistants and students in an environment dedicated to artistic production and experimentation. Today, the space once again hosts a community of artists, connecting the tradition of drawing and engraving with a contemporary practice.
Henk Schiffmacher has been a leading figure in the tattoo world for forty-five years. Known in Amsterdam as the “king of tattooing,” he organized the first major European conventions dedicated to the art form, has published over twenty books, and has exhibited in international museums, including the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The artist considers his long-standing collaboration with the Rembrandt House Museum one of the most important moments of his career.
“More tattoos are sold worldwide than works of art to hang on walls,” says Henk Schiffmacher. “An old tattoo artist once called tattoos ‘the Rembrandts of the poor’: a work of art more accessible than a painting by one of the great masters of the past, but no less carefully crafted or thoughtfully chosen. Moreover, many people build actual collections of tattoos created by specific artists. They come to us because they want to add Schiffmacher & Veldhoen to the collection they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. For us, it is an extraordinary honor to work in a place where you can still feel Rembrandt’s spirit and to engage with his engravings and drawings. It is the meeting of great art and art on a smaller scale.”
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| In Amsterdam, you can get a Rembrandt tattoo: the project returns to the artist's house-museum |
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