Rijksmuseum's Vermeer Exhibition in Amsterdam Achieves Historic Success
The recent Johannes Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has concluded as the most successful in the institution's history. Running for 16 weeks from February 10 to June 4, 2023, the event attracted 650,000 visitors from 113 different countries, despite carefully managed visitor numbers designed to ensure an optimal experience for all attendees.
Taco Dibbits, general director of the Rijksmuseum, emphasized the importance of preserving the peacefulness and intimacy associated with Vermeer's art, which necessitated limiting daily visitor counts. He expressed gratitude for the extensive loans from museums worldwide that allowed the Rijksmuseum to assemble an unprecedented collection of Vermeer's work.
A Record-Breaking Display of Masterpieces
The exhibition brought together 28 of the 37 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer, including iconic works such as Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Milkmaid. Notably, seven of these masterpieces had never before been publicly displayed in the Netherlands, including three from The Frick Collection in New York and the recently restored Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.
Visitor feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with an appreciation score of 8.7. Over half of the visitors (55%) were from the Netherlands, while international guests predominantly came from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Belgium. The exhibition also received notable attention, including an official visit from French President Emmanuel Macron. The accompanying exhibition catalogue proved equally popular, selling over 100,000 copies, surpassing all previous Rijksmuseum exhibition catalogues.
Continuing the Vermeer Experience in Amsterdam
For those who missed the main exhibition or wish to revisit some of Vermeer's artistry, six of his paintings will remain on view in the Rijksmuseum's Gallery of Honour from June 7 to October 10. This special presentation includes The Girl in the Red Hat (National Gallery of Art, Washington) and Young Woman at the Virginal (The Leiden Collection, New York), showcased alongside the four Vermeer works from the Rijksmuseum's permanent collection.
New Insights and Broad Reach Beyond the Galleries
The Vermeer exhibition extended its impact beyond the physical galleries, fostering new art historical and material technical research. Investigations into The Milkmaid revealed initial underpainting details, showing Vermeer's dynamic compositional adjustments, including elements like a can and board that were ultimately not part of the final work. Further research illuminated the influence of the Catholic Jesuit order in Delft on Vermeer’s life and artistic process, including his exposure to the camera obscura, a precursor to modern photography. These studies also clarified that Pieter Claesz van Ruijven and his wife, Maria de Knuijt, were key patrons of the artist. The Rijksmuseum continues its research into other Vermeer paintings, with findings expected to be published in 2025.
The exhibition's reach was also amplified through various digital and accessible initiatives. The "Closer to Johannes Vermeer" website, narrated by Stephen Fry, engaged nearly 800,000 users and garnered multiple awards, including two Webby Awards and a Golden European Design Award. Further details on the online experience can be found here. Discoveries regarding The Milkmaid's underpainting were also highlighted by the museum. Read more about these insights from the Rijksmuseum. Insights into Vermeer's biography and the influence of the Jesuits were also revealed, as detailed by the museum. More on this research is available here.
Accessibility was a priority, with audio description tours for blind and partially sighted visitors, sensory-friendly evening openings, and lectures in Dutch Sign Language. Even the velvet curtains from the exhibition are finding a second life, being reused in other museums, repurposed into new products, or donated to charity.
This landmark exhibition was made possible through the support of various patrons and collaborations, underscoring the collective effort required to bring such a significant cultural event to fruition.
To discover more about the Rijksmuseum and other cultural highlights, explore the city's diverse offerings on Musemap (musemap.art) or browse other museums in Amsterdam. You can also view these and other spots on a map.
