By Elizabeth Breyer Johnson

If ever there was a moment to revisit the story of Esther( her courage, her complexity, her insistence on speaking up), it’ s now. At the North Carolina Museum of Art( NCMA), her world is about to unfold in unprecedented depth.

Their newest exhibition,“ The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt” brings together more than 120 works including paintings, prints, and drawings by Rembrandt, Aert de Gelder, and Jan Steen, alongside Jewish ceremonial art and decorative objects from international lenders, presenting the Dutch Golden Age through the lens of one woman whose story continues to echo across cultures, faiths, and centuries.

For the NCMA, the show marks a rare collaboration with New York’ s Jewish Museum and an invitation for North Carolinians to engage with a piece of history that feels startlingly present.

We spoke with Michele Frederick, NCMA Curator of European Art and Provenance Research, about why Esther matters right now, and why this blockbuster exhibition is set to transform Raleigh, N. C., from September 20, 2025 – March 8, 2026.

What made this collaboration with the Jewish Museum the right partnership at this moment?

The themes within“ The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt” made this collaboration a natural fit. Dutch art from Rembrandt’ s era has been foundational to the NCMA since we opened in 1956, and Jan Lievens’ s“ The Feast of Esther,” which is a centerpiece of this exhibition, was a key spark for the partnership. We also have a

long history with Judaic art; we were the first general art museum in the country to create a permanent Judaica gallery, back in 1983. Bringing these strengths together felt especially meaningful, especially now, when interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural understanding are urgently needed. This exhibition enables us to highlight both our collection and our commitment to those conversations.

With over 120 works from international collections, what core message do you hope visitors take with them?

During the age of Rembrandt van Rijn( 1606 – 69), the Book of Esther held remarkable meaning for Jewish and Christian communities across Holland. Queen Esther’ s bravery, and her rescue of the Jewish people from near destruction in ancient Persia, inspired artists, writers, and everyday believers alike. At the center of this section is Rembrandt’ s defining painted image of Esther, a work that captures the full force of his color, brushwork, and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. The painting shows how his interpretation inspired other artists to imagine Esther as a vivid, contemporary woman in their own world. Even with such a rich range of objects, the show tells one remarkably focused story: the numerous ways a single narrative can be interpreted and reinterpreted through time. Whether or not visitors feel personally connected to“ The Book of Esther,” I do hope they leave with a deeper sense of how powerfully art shapes and is shaped by the culture that produces it. The breadth of materials on view underscores just how many ways the heroism of biblical Queen Esther’ s story was reimagined during this period.

How does the exhibition present Esther as both biblical heroine and cultural symbol in the Dutch Golden Age?

A chief goal of the exhibition is to show how Dutch artists transformed Esther into a contemporary figure, who reflected their own world as much as her original story. Rembrandt, for instance, used a recognizably Dutch model to portray her. We pair these visual works with books, pamphlets, and plays from the time, which reveal how deeply people connected to her narrative, especially as the Dutch fought for religious freedom during their war with Spain. Contextual materials, including maps and interpretive panels, help visitors see why Esther resonated so strongly at a moment

when the Netherlands was defining its identity and its values. In short, Esther was uniquely positioned to take on new meaning.

The exhibition integrates Rembrandt’ s circle with Jewish ceremonial art. Why was this dialogue between Dutch art and Jewish material culture important to include?

From the beginning, it was essential to show both Protestant Dutch and Jewish perspectives on Esther. These communities were intertwined yet distinct, and both turned to her story, but for varied reasons. Rembrandt lived just down the street from Amsterdam’ s Sephardic Portuguese Synagogue. Jewish patrons modeled for him and collected his work. Including Jewish ceremonial art allows visitors to

see the Netherlands of the 1600s more clearly: diverse, dynamic, and full of cultural exchange. It also demonstrates Esther’ s story lived not only in paintings, but in ritual objects, performances, and everyday life.

Esther’ s courage and identity have timeless appeal. What aspects of her story feel most resonant today? Quite simply, freedom. Esther risks everything for the sake of her community, and that theme was central both for the Dutch, at the time fighting to secure their independence, and for Jewish immigrants fleeing religious persecution during the Inquisition. Freedom remains imperfect and evolving, but Esther’ s determination to secure it for her people is as compelling now as it was then. It’ s a story that continues to speak across centuries.

Any concluding thoughts you’ d like to share with readers?

This rare exhibition has been more than four years in the making, and it has been an absolute pleasure to assemble. Countless treasures from Amsterdam’ s Portuguese Synagogue, and objects still in ritual use mind you, have never been on loan to the United States before. The opportunity to share them with NCMA visitors is extraordinary. Seeing Lievens’ s“ The Feast of Esther” in dialogue with other Dutch depictions of Esther for the first time has been equally meaningful. It truly feels like a once-in-alifetime gathering of works. And it is my hope visitors feel this same sense of wonder.

For more information including how to purchase tickets, please visit https:// ncartmuseum. org