Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition (2023)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition is a documentary film which premiered in 2023.

 

The topic of this film is a temporary exhibition of paintings by Johannes Vermeer which was held at the National Museum (Rijksmuseum) in Amsterdam from 10 February to 04 June 2023.

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Director: David Bickerstaff

** Production Company: Seventh Art Productions

** Series: Exhibition on Screen

** Language: English

** Subtitles: English

** Run time: 91 minutes

 

Six persons are interviewed in the film.

Here are the names of the participants

(listed in alphabetical order):

 

** Rachel Campbell-Johnston – an art historian

** Taco Dibbits – general director, Rijksmuseum

** Anna Krekeler – paintings conservator, Rijksmuseum

** Pieter Roelofs – head of paintings and sculpture, Rijksmuseum

** Ige Verslype – paintings conservator, Rijksmuseum

** Gregor J. M. Weber – head of fine arts, Rijksmuseum

 

Almost all paintings made by Vermeer were on display during this temporary exhibition.

 

Some paintings were already in the Netherlands. Others were located in foreign countries.

 

Dutch curators contacted curators of the foreign collections and asked them if they wanted to work together on a great exhibition of Vermeer.

 

Most of them were positive. They were prepared to cooperate and to send one or several paintings by Vermeer to be a part of the temporary exhibition in Amsterdam.

 

In this film, almost all paintings which were on display during the exhibition are presented and analysed.

 

Here is a list of all the paintings which are presented in the film (listed in the order of appearance):

 

** View of Houses in Delft, also known as The Little Street (1658-1659)

** View of Delft (1660-1661)

 

** Christ in the House of Mary and Martha (1654-1655)

** Diana and her Nymphs (1655-1656)

** Saint Praxedis (1655)

 

** The Procuress (1656)

** Self-Portrait (1670)

** Girl reading a Letter at an Open Window (1657-1658)

** The Milkmaid (1658-1659)

 

** Young Woman with a Lute (1662-1664)

** Woman Writing a Letter with her Maid (1670-1672)

** Officer and Laughing Girl (1657-1658)

** The Lace-maker (1666-1668)

 

** Young Woman Seated at a Virginal (1670-1672)

** Girl with a Red Hat (1664-1667)

** Girl with a Flute (1664-1667)

** Girl with a Pearl Earring (1664-1667)

 

** Young Woman Standing at a Virginal (1670-1672)

** A Lady Writing (1664-1667)

** Mistress and Maid (1664-1667)

** The Love Letter (1669-1670)

 

** Woman in Blue Reading a Letter (1662-1664)

** The Glass of Wine (1659-1661)

** Girl Interrupted at her Music (1659-1661)

 

** The Geographer (1669)

** The Astronomer (1668)

 

** Allegory of the Catholic Faith (1670-1674)

** Woman Holding a Balance (1662-1664)

** Woman with a Pearl Necklace (1662-1664)

 

With one exception, all paintings presented in this film are by Vermeer. Here is the exception:

 

As the Old Sing, so Pipe the Young

By Jan Steen

(1663-1665 or 1668-1670)

 

How many paintings did Vermeer paint in his life?

34 paintings are certified as made by Vermeer

Three paintings are disputed

Two of the three are covered here:

 

** Girl with a Red Hat

** Girl with a Flute

 

A few works have been lost. Perhaps the total number of works by Vermeer was 40 or 45.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 78 percent, which corresponds to a rating of 3.9 stars on Amazon.

 

In my opinion, this rating is too low. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

Vermeer

By Norbert Schneider

(Taschen Books)

(1993 = the first edition) 

(2016 = a recent edition)

 

Vermeer’s Hat: 

The Seventeenth Century and

the Dawn of the Global World

By Timothy Brook

(2008 = hardcover)

(2009 = paperback)

 

English title:

The Whole World in One Painting

German title:

Die ganze Welt in einem Bild

French title:

Le monde dans un tableau

A documentary film which premiered in 2019

A detailed study and analysis of Vermeer’s painting 

Officer and Laughing Girl

Probably inspired by Timothy Book’s book about Vermeer's hat and the dawn of the global world

 

Close to Vermeer

A documentary film which premiered in 2023

** Director = Suzanne Raes

** Run time = 79 minutes

In this film, the story of how the Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam was organised is told by the people who were involved in the operation

 

*****

 

Vermeer's Hat:

The Seventeenth Century 

and the 

Dawn of the Global World

by Timothy Brook

(2008 = hardcover)

(2009 = paperback)

 

*****