Ruth Leon recommends…  Vermeer  – Rijksmuseum

Ruth Leon recommends… Vermeer  – Rijksmuseum

Ruth Leon recommends

norman lebrecht

April 05, 2023

Vermeer  – Rijksmuseum

Click here to watch

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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Comments

  • Nick2 says:

    Friends of mine are flying to Amsterdam to see it. They got their tickets on the second day of booking. Apparently by the third it was sold out.

  • Pamela says:

    Never say never.anything is possible as far a another exhibition.like it would be fantastic in the USA.in new york.the perfect city for a perfect exhibition.everyone would be crazy of excitement of joy.i am very sure of it.a beautiful exhibition.i wish I had the chance to see,as an art lover.amazing .thanks.

  • Byrwec Ellison says:

    Wonderful! Coincides with the new discovery of Vermeer’s dog portraits and still lifes…

    https://hyperallergic.com/811644/newly-discovered-trove-of-vermeer-works-reveals-he-painted-mainly-dogs/

  • Willy says:

    I was there recently since I got tickets in the second round. It was a huge disappointment, I had never seen so many people in a museum, the crowd made it impossible to contemplate any painting with a little tranquility. A huge let down…

  • Mark Bell says:

    I have one ticket for May 4, 2:45pm. I bought four, but only three family members are going. Let me know if you’re interested

  • PaulD says:

    The National Gallery in Washington, DC had a similar exhibition in 1995. All but a few (including those in the Frick in NYC) were not on display. The Queen sent hers. I was fortunate enough to see it because the rest of the federal government was shut down in a dispute between Clinton and Congress. I got in line with the rest of my government employee colleagues and enjoyed one of the greatest exhibitions the Gallery ever had.

  • MMcGrath says:

    It is a wonderful exhibit and starkly limited tickets means you can actually get close to the pictures and look in awe. Even though sold out, I hear you can still get into the exhibition if you become a Rijksmuseum Friend for a relatively small amount – and, bingo, you have access.

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