“I saw Jesus’ face and then it hit me.” Creative lead, Bas Korsten, had just read that a group of archaeologists had reconstructed Jesus’ face, based on three skulls they had found around Jerusalem. He wondered whether a similar approach could be applied to the work of one the world’s most famous artists, Rembrandt.

Blurring the boundaries between art and technology, The Next Rembrandt project is intended to fuel the conversation about the relationship between art and algorithms, between data and human design and between technology and emotion. “We wanted to stimulate the discussion on how data and the use of data could lead to innovation,” surmised Ron Augustus, Director SMB Markets, Microsoft Netherlands.

Last week, in an intimate space, in the trendy area of Jordaan in Amsterdam, The Next Rembrandt was unveiled to media and enthusiasts.