Vermeer exhibition hangs “no tickets” sign four days after opening

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has hung the "no tickets" sign for the exhibition dedicated to Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), the Dutch painter of the Golden Age. It is a temporary measure for one of the important events of the international artistic season , and some 200,000 tickets had already been sold in advance.

The exhibition, which presents 28 works by the artist together for the first time, has been running for just four days, since it opened to the public on February 10.

The management tries to avoid crowds so that one of the outstanding painters of homely intimacy and calm can be admired calmly.

He advises fans to keep an eye on the institution's website and social media to see if there are any changes.

“We are doing everything possible to give more people the opportunity to see the exhibition.

We are also considering a series of possibilities that allow us to offer more tickets”, say spokesmen for the Rijksmuseum, who decline to go into details.

They do indicate, however, that "to ensure that the visit is pleasant for the public, the number of tickets available is limited."

The museum also does not clarify when tickets can be sold again for an exhibition that ends in June.

More information

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They do not explain if they were counting on selling 200,000 tickets in advance, or if that figure already makes it difficult to regulate the current flow of visitors.

The exhibition requires a ticket of 30 euros, which franks the access to the entire collection of the museum.

It is free up to 18 years of age, inclusive, and there are other prices, between 10 and 15 euros.

You can follow the digital tour of his works, arranged on the website.

The narrators are Dutch actress Joy Delima, in Dutch, and British actor Stephen Fry, in English.

In 2022, the museum was visited by 1.7 million people.

In 2021, he dedicated an exhibition to slavery and the Netherlands' colonial past, seen by some 80,000 people.

Nearly 3.4 million followed its digital version on the website.

That year, the total number of applicants was 650,000.

In 2019, during The Rembrandt Year —350th anniversary of his death — 2.7 million were reached, according to figures from the center itself.

All this, without any problems of agglomerations or plugs in ticket sales being reported.

Vermeer, precious and with a reduced work that does not exceed 45 paintings and 37 attributions, was appreciated in his time, but almost fell into oblivion until the 19th century.

His recovery for art, and for fans, is due to the French art critic Théophile Thoré-Bürger, and his style and subject matter drew attention in the United States.

'The Girl with a Pearl Earring', by Vermeer, surrounded by visitors in the Rijksmuseum exhibition dedicated to the painter. KOEN VAN WEEL (EFE)

The anthology dedicated in Amsterdam is the result of almost a decade of work and consultation, and it has been possible because the Frick Collection, in New York, renews its facilities and has donated the three paintings from its catalogue: Lady with maid and

Other museums and private collections later agreed to do the same, and it was possible to reach up to 28 exhibited pieces.

Between October 2013 and January 2014, the fabric

, possibly the most recognizable of the painter, was ceded to the same American collection by the Mauritshuis gallery, in The Hague.

The Dutch room was being remodeled and he also sent pieces by Rembrandt and Carel Fabritius, one of his most gifted students.

In 2013, the Rijksmuseum reopened its doors after a decade-long restoration that cost €375 million.

New spaces were created in a building inaugurated in 1885, designed by the Spanish architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz.

The gallery of honor normally includes

and other paintings by Rembrandt, as well as the four

in the museum.

These are

This quartet is part of a group of 28 arranged in the temporary exhibition hall, the Philips Wing.

The Mauritshuis gallery has sent

The latter will return to the Mauritshuis in April, "because then the tourist season begins, and 'The young woman is The young woman', and we cannot be without her", say her spokespersons.

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