Unprecedented Attendance Marks Vermeer's Exhibition at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum
AMSTERDAM – The Rijksmuseum’s recent Johannes Vermeer exhibition, which concluded on June 4, has officially set a new record, attracting an impressive 650,000 visitors during its 16-week run. The exhibition, priced at €30 for standard admission, now stands as the most visited show in the museum’s history.
A significant 55% of the attendees were from the Netherlands, while the rest of the visitors hailed from various countries including France (7.7%), Germany (7.2%), the United Kingdom (7.2%), and the United States (6.3%).
The exhibition showcased 28 out of the 37 masterpieces by the Dutch Old Master, including renowned works like ‘The Milkmaid’ and ‘The Girl With the Pearl Earring’. The latter was returned to The Hague’s Mauritshuis museum in March.
The Rijksmuseum also took the opportunity to upgrade three paintings, including ‘Girl with a Flute’ (1664-67 or later) from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
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“We wanted the visitors to enjoy it to the fullest. This was only possible by limiting the number of visitors,” said Taco Dibbits, the general director of Rijksmuseum. He expressed gratitude for the generous loans from museums worldwide that enabled the museum to bring together more works by Vermeer than ever before.
The exhibition also saw the sale of over 100,000 copies of the Vermeer catalogue, priced at €35, setting another record in the history of the Rijksmuseum.
Various research projects were initiated during the exhibition, one of which concluded that Vermeer continued to seek tranquility and the perfect composition during the painting process.
Although the exhibition has ended, Vermeer enthusiasts can still view six of his paintings at the Gallery of Honour of the Rijksmuseum from June 7 to October 10.