Vermeer's Delft
10.02.2023 until
04.06.2023
See
In the 17th century, Delft was a breeding ground for talent, where important innovations were taking place. Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) developed into a world-class painter here. For the first time, Vemeers life, his network and his relationship to the city of Delft is the central focus of an exhibition.On the basis of more than 100 objects from Dutch and foreign collections, including masterpieces by Delft painters, objects of applied art, maps, prints, drawings, books, biographical documents and other archival matter, a picture of the bustling city atmosphere of the 17th century will be painted.
Meet characters from Vermeers immediate surroundings, like his mother-in-law, Maria Thins, his fellow painter Leonaert Bramer, family notary Willem de Langue, art collectors Maria de Knuijt and her husband, Pieter van Ruijven, and master baker Hendrick van Buyten, who also collected art. Vermeer was not just a painter, but a man of flesh and blood: husband, son-in-law, entrepreneur, father of 15 children, and innkeeper. Get closer to the man behind the myth and discover how Vermeer became one of the most beloved artists of the 17th century.
These characters and the cultural and artistic climate in 17th-century Delft are presented through masterpieces and rare archival matter. See for example The Procuress, from 1622, by Dirck van Baburen, and Jan Steen’s 1655 painting Adolf and Catharina Croeser on the Oude Delft (also known as The Burgomaster of Delft and his Daughter). Both masterpieces are primary examples of the artistic climate in Delft and have a direct connection to Vermeer. Dozens of archival items such as inventories and wills, but also prints and maps, provide insight into Vermeer and the people around him and paint a clear picture of the city in his time.
Dirck van Baburen, De koppelaarster, 1622, doek, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, M. Theresa B. Hopkins Fund
Jan Steen, Adolf en Catharina Croeser, bekend als ‘De burgemeester van Delft en zijn dochter’, 1655, doek, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Audio tour
Admission includes an audio tour, available in English, Dutch and French. This audiotour provides in-depth insight into Vermeers youth, his marriage, and his work, as well as the cultural context in Delft, its artistic climate and the city's history.
Publication
A lavishly illustrated publication, produced in cooperation with Waanders Publishers (Waanders Uitgevers), will accompany the exhibition. In English and Dutch, 128 pages, circa €29.95 (paperback). The publication is available in the museum shop while supllies last.