Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) only lived for 43 years and painted about fifty paintings. During his life time, he was only famous in a limited area of the Dutch Republic (current Holland) and his paintings have been collected only by a handful of connoisseurs. He has been forgotten for centuries, but his name became famous and synonym of masterpieces after being spoken by an art critic.
We picture him as a discreet man, working in a corner of a room, improving small genre paintings, the pictorial representation of scenes from everyday life, where we can see, as if we were peeking through a keyhole, the house inhabitants’ habits. Reading, faith and small jobs are at the core of his imagination. Women and elegance are given the place of honor.
This year, the Louvre offers to open people’s eyes to Vermeer, widening each and everyone’s point of view to the whole generation of painters whose work followed the same trend. We then discover that the selected subjects’ superficial humbleness hides a thorough care to describe very elegant and delicate scenes. Behind each reflection and each fabric many hours of work and a tough competition between Vermeer’s contemporary painters can be seen...
A fascinating immersion offering the public an exquisite selection of diligent work. To visit!
Practical information:
Vermeer and the masters of Genre painting
At Musée du Louvre
From 22 February to 22 May 2017
Rate: €15 (free for people under 26)
Open daily excluded Tuesdays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Until 9:45 on Wednesdays and Fridays
Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.
Dates and Opening Time
From February 22, 2017 to May 22, 2017
Location
Louvre Museum
musée du louvre
75001 Paris 1
Access
Metro Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre
Prices
-26 ans: Free
tarif plein: €15
