Sold out for Vermeer: ​​tickets for the retrospective at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are out

Someone had foreseen it: the exhibition of the century is about to open in Amsterdam. Keeping it low, however, with an installation of 28, or rather 28, works by Veermer, it was still an unmissable artistic event. And so, since a month before the opening (on February 10th) the reservations office of the Rjiskmuseum had been overwhelmed by reservation requests. And only ten days later the dream ended: sold out, sold out, tickets sold out, dear Veermer goodbye. Until three days ago, the museum’s answering machine chirped in English: “At the moment there are no more tickets available for Vermeer. To guarantee the public a pleasant visit to the exhibition, the number of tickets available is limited. We are working hard to ensure that more people have the opportunity to see the exhibit.” Now, however, even this last illusion has faded. «Sorry, the tickets have all already been sold» is the inscription that stands out in front of the museum.

The news, however disappointing, is not surprising. The retrospective with the simple title “Vermeer” underway at the Rijskmuseum until 4 June brings together, as mentioned, 28 works by the artist, half of his entire oeuvre. This is the largest exhibition ever held on the Dutch painter. An operation of historic significance with the involvement of 13 museums and private collections from all over the world, who have agreed to lend their masterpieces. First of all, the Frick Collection in New York, which is closing for restoration. “Not even Vermeer had ever seen so many works by him together,” explains Taco Dibbits, general director of the Rijksmuseum. But the importance of the exhibition, the first that the museum dedicates to him, also lies in the impressive catalogue, full of essays on his biography and pictorial technique».

The «Girl with a pearl earring» leaves at the end of March
However, the exhibition of the century will soon have to do without its star. At the end of March, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring will leave the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to return home, about sixty kilometers south: to the Mauritshuis in The Hague. From April 1st – and it’s no joke – it will be exhibited in its usual location. Paradoxically, Holland, which managed to gather 28 Vermeers from all over the world for the biggest event ever dedicated to the seventeenth-century master, lost an internal battle. Friendly fire and economic reason prevailed. «We said it from the beginning – explained Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis – and the Rijksmuseum knew it well. It was important to lend it in time for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition like this, but it is an exception: on the other hand, the Louvre would never grant the Mona Lisa and the Rijksmuseum itself would not even temporarily discard its strong point: the Night Watch by Rembrandt”.

A unique exhibition
While waiting for the museum to be able to find a solution (is it thinking about it? is an extension being studied?) let’s try to understand why it is a unique exhibition.

First of all, the operation involved 13 museums and private collections from all over the world, who have agreed to lend their masterpieces. First of all, the Frick Collection in New York, which is closing for restoration. But the importance of the exhibition, the first that the museum dedicates to him, also lies in the impressive catalogue, full of essays on his biography and pictorial technique. Talented restorers and scientists, using avant-garde methodologies, have discovered, under the painted scene, the sketches drawn by Vermeer to outline it. Only a track, which was reworked gradually subtracting elements of the scene. His brushstrokes, dazzling chromatic sensitivity and skilful color fades have been eviscerated. While scholars-detectives, first and foremost the two curators, have re-read already known news, unearthed new documents, cross-referenced data, composing a more complete biographical mosaic piece by piece. In short, a big job, for a result that is a joy for the eyes and the soul.