In September 1939, as WWII was coming to Europe, museum workers at the Rijksmuseum faced this impossible task: how do you hide a 4-meter-tall masterpiece?
This is the story of how The Night Watch survived the war—rolled up, hidden in caves, and protected by ordinary people who risked everything for beauty. Standing before the painting today, I realized the real masterpiece isn't just what Rembrandt painted in 1642. It's the human choice to protect it, even in the darkest times.
My contemplative visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, exploring why we save the art we save—and what that says about us.