The Washington Post called it “an international act of veneration,” and it was talking about a new art exhibit. Never before, ever, have so many paintings by famed Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer been brought together in one place. And it will, in all likelihood, never happen again. It was put together and is being hosted by Amsterdam’s renowned Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. The BBC calls the show “an intelligent, carefully curated, and stylish exhibition, and a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime event.” And when you read about the works, you realize that last, dramatic sounding clause is probably true.
Of the 37 known Vermeer paintings, this exhibit has 28 of them, including the only two landscapes he ever painted. All his famous ones are here, gathered from museums many of which have traditionally been reluctant—or flat out unwilling—to part with them.
The exhibition includes masterpieces housed in famous museums around the world. “The Geographer” is coming from Frankfurt, Germany. “Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid,” is making the journey from the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, and, my favorite Vermeer (and maybe my favorite painting period) “Woman Holding a Balance,” is coming from its home at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
Works never before shown to the public in the Netherlands will include the newly restored “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window” which has been in Dresden since 1742. Vermeer’s most famous painting, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is on loan to the museum from an institution nearby in The Hague but is only going to be in the exhibit through March.
The dates, by the way, are from February 10 of this year—so it’s already opened—until June 4. Before it even opened the museum had sold over 200,000 timed entry tickets. Now, incredibly enough it’s sold out completely.
If you don’t already have your tickets, the museum has made a very good film in conjunction with the exhibit narrated by the wonderful Stephen Fry. It’s online and worth your time.
While I’m obviously not going to get to see this it’s nice to know that such an exhibit has finally happened. The last time you had so many of his works together in one place was probably when he was painting them. And since it’s short in duration, I can at least know that the next time I go to DC and the National Gallery I’ll be able to see my favorite painting again in person.
To take a step back from the buzz surrounding this exhibit is to meet an artist who was anything but a celebrity in his time. Johannes Vermeer was Dutch, born in the little town of delft in October, 1632.
Just for comparison his countryman Rembrandt was born in the nearby university town of Leiden about 26 years earlier.
Vermeer wasn’t prolific by any means. Only 34 paintings are universally attributed to him. By contrast Rembrandt has about 300 painting attributed to him.
Vermeer worked very slowly and often used paints that were very expensive. And he wasn’t wealthy by any means.
He was married in 1653, we know that. His death, really the only other date of his life we know with certainty, came in December 1675.