Ruth Leon recommends… Vermeer  – Rijksmuseum

Vermeer  – Rijksmuseum

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I wanted so badly to go to Amsterdam to see the current Vermeer   exhibition at the Rijksmuseum but by the time I got myself together to buy tickets it was sold out. I’ve been kicking myself ever since. It’s still sold out and there won’t be any further ticket availability to see it live. Then my friend Julia told me about this wonderful film, made by the Rijksmuseum, probably to assuage the distress of idiots like me who didn’t get to see it because we asked too late.

Narrated by Stephen Fry,  it is an informative and inclusive guide to the exhibition. No, it’s not the same as being there and seeing the paintings in person but it does give insight and knowledge that we couldn’t get without years of study. Every painting in the exhibition is lovingly and intelligently introduced and its particular elements and talking points analysed.

Nearly all the 34 known and authenticated Vermeer paintings have been gathered under the welcoming roof of the Rijksmuseum from both public and private collections worldwide at enormous effort and expense, enough to guarantee that there will never be another exhibition like this one.

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