Author Nina Siegal will discuss the making of Rembrandt’s first large-scale masterpiece, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, painted in 1632 in Amsterdam, when the painter was 26 years old. The story behind the painting is the source of her critically acclaimed novel, The Anatomy Lesson in English (Nan Talese/Doubleday) and recently published in Dutch as Tulpen en Terpentijn (House of Books). The novel tracks the story of the dead man in the painting, a petty thief who was executed in Amsterdam who was dissected as part of a Winter Festival, as well as the stories of other characters connected to him, including the woman carrying his child, the philosopher René Descartes, Dr. Nicolaes Tulp and the old master painter himself. Presentation followed by booksigning.

Nina Siegal is an author, editor and journalist. She writes regularly about art for The International New York Times.

The Anatomy Lesson is now available at the Vrije Academie. Buy it now for €24,99. Order both the book and lecture and get free shipping.