Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) lived and worked in Delft. His work is best known for his tranquil, introverted indoor scenes, his unprecedented use of bright, colorful light and his convincing illusionism.

In contrast to Rembrandt, Vermeer left a remarkably small oeuvre with about 35 paintings. As his paintings generally considered the most prized treasures of every museum collection, Vermeer paintings are rarely lent out.

International loans

The exhibition will include masterpieces such as The Girl with a Pearl Earring (Mauritshuis, The Hague), The Geographer (Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main), Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin) and Woman Holding a Balance (The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC).

Works never before shown to the public in the Netherlands will include the newly restored Girl Reading a Letter at the Open Window from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.

Research together with the Mauritshuis museum

Preparations for the exhibition are currently underway. The research focuses on Vermeer's artistry, his artistic choices and motivations for his compositions, as well as into the creative process of his paintings.

For this exhibition we work closely with the Mauritshuis in The Hague. A team of curators, restorers and natural scientists to examine in depth the seven paintings by Vermeer in Dutch possession. Works by Vermeer from other collections are also involved in this project.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

We are delighted that The Girl with the Pearl Earring is coming to our museum from the Mauritshuis. You can see her in the exhibition until 30 March. After that, she will return to the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

We thank

The exhibition Vermeer is made possible in part by Ammodo and the Rijksmuseum International Circle.