The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam houses some of the world’s most impressive artworks. Normally, though, they would hang politely on the walls and refrain from making any noise, while tourists from all over the planet admire them. But this evening was slightly different.
Bentley Mulliner turned up there with the mesmerizing Dutch Masters Collection: three Continental GTs fashioned as homages to Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh, rolled into the museum as if this was the most sensible thing in the world.
To everyone’s surprise, it rather was.
More than 200 guests from Bentley’s Dutch dealerships dialled in virtually before wandering down the Gallery of Honour for dinner. That’s a space usually reserved for silent contemplation, but it turns out candlelight, marble, and a small fleet of bespoke Bentleys coexist surprisingly well.
Mulliner approached the cars not as decorators, but as slightly obsessive collaborators with three painters who are unfortunately no longer available for comment. These Continental GTs feel less like a special edition and more like three rolling works of art in leather, veneer, pigment, and light.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
The Rembrandt Car: Dramatic, Brooding, and Rather Magnificent
The first of the trio is a Continental GT Convertible, dressed in a superb Midnight Emerald.
It’s inspired by The Night Watch, which, if you don’t know this yet, is one of Rembrandt van Rijn’s most famous paintings, with several men who all appear to be having a rather serious day. The colour is deep, shadowy, and vaguely cinematic, just appropriate for Rembrandt’s fondness for moody chiaroscuro.
Inside the cockpit, this theme continues with an almost scholarly precision. Hotspur red accents reference Captain Frans Banninck Cocq’s red sash; Magnolia hide brings some warmth and Cumbrian green elements add a sort of aristocratic depth.
There’s also a Piano-finish fascia and waistrails that match this green, while gold organ-stop vents add a glint of “museum treasure recovered from a vault”.
Mulliner also added feathers that are projected onto the floor when you’ll open the door at night, a nod to the plume in the lieutenant’s hat from that materpiece.
It’s the sort of detail that would make Rembrandt either beam with delight or ask why his work is suddenly living on the underside of a Bentley. Last but not least, treadplates and badges carry the Dutch Masters mark, finishing it all with the confidence of a signed canvas.
The Vermeer Car: Calm, Cool, and Terribly Well Composed
Car number two pays tribute to Johannes Vermeer, the man who made quiet rooms and good natural light seem positively heroic. It wears a Sapphire satin finish that looks like someone just distilled the Dutch sky into something automotive.
A panoramic roof is fitted as if to say: “Fine, let the light in – Vermeer would have insisted.”
The car’s interior is bright, organised, and refreshingly clean. Beluga and Ocean blue hides provide the foundation for this exquisite look, Citric yellow adds a subtle lift and Klein blue piping sharpens the vibe with the confidence of a decisive brushstroke.
Clouds from The Little Street drift across the door cards and even appear in the welcome lamp, while Piano Black panels supply the atmosphere of a very well-funded gallery.
The Bentley Rotating Display is also adorned with Klein blue accents to provide the sort of surprise that feels unhurried, polite, and unmistakably Vermeer.
The Van Gogh Car: Emotional Weather, Expressed in Leather and Wood
Finally, this is the Van Gogh Continental GT, the boldest of the three special editions and probably the least likely to sit quietly in a corner. At the museum, or in a parking lot. For this car a gorgeous Dark Sapphire paint meets Khamun yellow pinstriping, creating a contrast that seems to ooze energy.
Inside, the palette is lifted directly from The Starry Night: with Imperial blue, Dark Sapphire, Linen, and Khamun yellow doing their magic.
The swirling sky appears in the welcome lamp animation and it’s even etched in the door-panel artwork. Piano Linen veneer stretches across the fascia, complemented by a Dark Sapphire pinstripe, and Khamun yellow accents deliver the same glow Van Gogh achieved with his beloved Indian yellow.
There is even open-pore chiselled walnut on the centre console, giving more texture to the cockpit without shouting. Gold knurled organ stops complete the picture with a warm shimmer, like a final dab of paint on a star.
Three Cars, Three Masters, One Brilliant Idea
Seen together, the trio feels like an automotive triptych: Rembrandt is the elder statesman, Vermeer the quiet architect of order, and Van Gogh the slightly wild genius with a remarkable eye for colour. They stand alone but make even more sense side by side, much like the original painters.
Each car comes with a presentation key box wrapped in matching hides. And they all feature laser-etched motifs – feather, cloud, or swirling sky – that sit inside the lid. That’s exactly the sort of detail collectors will adore, mainly because it proves someone thought about the experience all the way down to the keys.
All three cars share Bentley’s Blackline specification, Touring spec, and a body-coloured styling kit.
Inside, there’s also wellness seating, mood lighting, diamond knurling, the Rotating Display, and the Naim for Bentley sound system, all comfortably in the category of “nice to have” for every Bentley owner.
A Meeting of Craft and Culture
The Dutch Masters Collection is what happens when a modern coachbuilder handles art with a steady hand. The brilliant team from Mulliner managed to turn each painter’s language into exquisite materials and bespoke details that feel considered rather than decorative.
And revealing the cars in the Rijksmuseum grounded the whole project. One of the world’s most visited art museums, this place has its own authority, and the cars settled into it naturally, as though this was their intended backdrop.
