Kings of the Netherlands and Spain open Rembrandt-Velázquez exhibition

King Willam-Alexander of the Netherlands welcomed fellow monarch and good friend, King Felipe of Spain to the Netherlands on Thursday where the pair presided over the opening of the Rembrandt-Velázquez exhibition at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The Dutch king waited outside his home, Huis Ten Bosch Palace, on his Spanish counterpart and greeted him with a friendly handshake and hug before heading inside. Casa Real shared a video of the arrival, and Felipe is heard saying, “Nice beard there.” Willem-Alexander recently started sporting a bearded look.

Viaje del Rey a La Haya y Amsterdam. Encuentro en el Palacio Huis Ten Bosch con el Rey de los Países Bajos e inauguración de la exposición Rembrandt-Velázquez en el Rijksmuseum. ⁦@koninklijkhuis⁩ ⁦@rijksmuseum⁩ ⁦@museodelprado⁩ https://t.co/lS6sQYXJqC pic.twitter.com/EYgZmEKzrm

— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) October 10, 2019

King Felipe signed a guest book in the palace and held a short meeting with Willem-Alexander before enjoying lunch together.

When Their Majesties travelled to Rijksmuseum, they watched a performance of a Hispanic/Dutch choir, listened to a reading by Dutch poet Tsead Bruinja, and heard a welcome speech by the museum director.

The Kings were then given a tour of the new exhibit, “Rembrandt-Velázquez ” located on the first floor where they were guided by Gregor Weber and Cèlia Queriol. Works contained in this exhibit include “The Flag Bearer” and “The Trustees of the Draperies” by Rembrandt and “La Fragua de Vulcano” by Velázquez.

Afterwards, they attended a meeting with guests of the exhibition – curated by a special partnership between Rijksmuseum and the National Prado Museum in Madrid – before King Felipe headed to the airport to return to Spain.

Casa Real explained the exhibit, “The Rembrandt-Velázquez exhibition is a selection of paintings by Dutch and Spanish masters of the 17th century. 60 paintings hang side by side in pairs, allowing you to contemplate fascinating visual dialogues about realism and eternity, religion and beauty.”