In the hallowed halls of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam—a sanctuary of national treasures—Bentley Mulliner didn’t just unveil three Continental GTs; they debuted an automotive triptych. This Dutch Masters Collection is less about horsepower and more about historical homage, a fun and audacious move that positions the supercar not as a mere machine, but as a kinetic sculpture inspired by the most revered names in art: Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh.
This is the ultimate intersection of haute motor and haute culture, where the $300,000+ Continental GT becomes a $1 million-plus, one-of-one rolling masterpiece, destined for climate-controlled garages rather than daily commutes.
@Bentley Dutch Masters collection
The Continental GT Rembrandt: Drama, Leather, and the Feather of Night
The first commission is a Continental GT Convertible inspired by Rembrandt’s 1642 The Night Watch.
Mulliner, Bentley’s bespoke division, mastered the challenge of translating the Dutch Golden Age’s dramatic chiaroscuro (light and shadow) into a three-dimensional object.
The Exterior: A brooding Midnight Emerald paint job captures the deep, shadowy atmosphere of the canvas.
The Interior: The cabin is where the drama truly unfolds. The flash of Hotspur red accent hide mirrors the vital red sash of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, the central figure in the painting. This bold, warm colour cuts through the otherwise cooler palette of Magnolia (inspired by the Lieutenant’s coat) and Cumbrian green hides, perfectly mimicking the focused pools of light and colour in the otherwise dark masterpiece.
The Signature Detail: Upon opening the door, the illuminated welcome lamp projects an animation of a feather—a playful, elegant nod to the plume on the Lieutenant’s hat. It’s a literal translation of the painting’s subtle motifs into a bespoke digital experience.
The ‘Rembrandt’ is the elder statesman of the trio: dramatic, rich, and rather magnificent.
The Continental GT Vermeer: Serenity, Sapphire, and the Light of Delft
If Rembrandt embodies dramatic shadow, the second car, a Continental GT inspired by Johannes Vermeer, is pure, cold light. Vermeer’s genius lay in capturing the serene, clear daylight of his home city of Delft in simple interior scenes, particularly evident in works like The Little Street.
The Exterior: The car is finished in Sapphire satin, a luminous blue that looks crisp and airy. Mulliner wisely specified a panoramic sunroof, paying direct tribute to Vermeer’s obsession with natural light entering a space.
The Interior: The palette is one of quiet perfection: a foundation of Beluga and Ocean blue hide, offset by pops of Citric yellow accent colour. This is the visual language of Vermeer’s iconic blues and yellows—the light catching a satin drape or a lemon.
The Signature Detail: The design team took the billowing cloud formation from The Little Street and applied it as the welcome lamp animation and etched door card panels. This transforms the inside of the car into a highly polished, light-filled Delft interior, lending a palpable sense of calm.
The ‘Vermeer’ is calm, cool, and terribly well composed, a perfect reflection of the master who was the quiet architect of order.
The Continental GT Van Gogh: Emotion, Starry Skies, and Passionate Colour
The third car, another Continental GT, channels the emotional intensity and revolutionary colour of Vincent van Gogh, specifically inspired by his most iconic work, The Starry Night.
The Exterior: The choice of Dark Sapphire paint paired with a Khamun yellow pinstriping is an instantly recognizable Van Gogh contrast. It’s the meeting of the tumultuous night sky and the searing, electric yellow of his stars.
The Interior: The interior explodes with a palette lifted from the canvas: Imperial blue, Dark Sapphire, Linen, and Khamun yellow. The Khamun accent hide and contrast stitching are a direct reference to the Indian yellow Van Gogh used for the celestial bodies.
The Signature Detail: The swirling pattern of the night sky and yellow moon is reproduced in the welcome lamp animation and custom etched door card panels. This detail doesn’t just reference the painting; it evokes the movement and emotion of Van Gogh’s brushstrokes. The knurled air-vent organ stops, finished in gold, add a warm shimmer, like a final dab of oil paint.
The ‘Van Gogh’ is alive with movement and colour, the slightly wild genius of the collection.
The Future of the Supercar as Curated Collectible
The Dutch Masters Collection is a masterful piece of brand storytelling. It shows that in the upper echelons of luxury, a car’s value is no longer strictly transactional (based on performance or materials) but narrative (based on its unique story, provenance, and cultural depth).
While other marques, such as BMW with its long-running Art Car Project, or Automobili Pininfarina with its pop-culture collaborations (like the Bruce Wayne ‘Capsule Collection’), blur the line between automotive and art, Mulliner’s approach here is distinctly literary and subtle. They don’t turn the car into a canvas; they use its surfaces to subtly echo, reference, and evoke the mood and palette of a masterpiece.
These three cars are not simply “highly optioned” Bentleys; they are an exhibition on wheels, proving once and for all that a true luxury vehicle can—and should—occupy a place in the continuing conversation between art and automotive excellence.
Which of the three Dutch Masterpieces—Rembrandt’s drama, Vermeer’s serenity, or Van Gogh’s passion—do you feel was most successfully translated into a car’s interior design?
