Alistair Hardaker
Image: Rembrandt slow looking © National Trust Images / James Dobson
National Trust tours Rembrandt self-portrait across four venues with seating and meditative audio guides to encourage extended viewing.
The National Trust is piloting a “slow looking” visitor engagement model through a year-long tour of Rembrandt van Rijn’s Self-portrait.
The initiative, which begins at Kingston Lacy in Dorset today, 12 September 2025, positions the painting in dedicated spaces that allow for uninterrupted contemplation. The tour will visit Dunham Massey in Cheshire and Upton House in Warwickshire before returning to its permanent home at Buckland Abbey in Devon.
The painting will be set against dedicated seating and meditative audio guides to extend viewing times beyond the typical eight-second museum average.
The programme forms part of the National Trust’s strategy to grow access to cultural heritage, with the organisation citing studies that demonstrate art engagement can reduce stress, foster emotional resilience and provide respite from daily demands. Audio guides offer visitors options including insights from conservators and art historians, or meditative prompts for quiet contemplation.
Amy Orrock, National Trust curator, said: “This self-portrait is the perfect companion for a slow looking experience. It invites you to look closer, to wonder what Rembrandt was contemplating, and maybe to reflect on your own state of mind.” .
The painting, reattributed to Rembrandt following conservation and scientific analysis in 2013, represents one of approximately 80 self-portraits created throughout the artist’s career.
John Chu, senior national curator for pictures and sculptures, said of the painting; “In this picture he is really swaggering, hand on hip, wearing a fancy costume and large hat. But there is also something tentative about the way he looks back at us, and the way the shadow falls across his face feels mysterious.”
The experience is included in standard house admission with no pre-booking required. The tour runs at Kingston Lacy from 12 September to 16 November 2025 and 12 January to 22 March 2026, Dunham Massey from 27 March to 12 July 2026, and Upton House from 17 July to 8 November 2026.
