The Rijksmuseum will extend the exhibition Vermeer opening hours to 10PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for the duration of the exhibition from 10 February to 4 June 2023. More than 100,000 tickets have already been sold with a month to go until the opening of the exhibition, the largest ever gathering of Vermeer paintings. Never before has the Rijksmuseum received such demand ahead of the opening of an exhibition.

Today also sees the launch of Rijksmuseum’s digital Vermeer experience Closer to Johannes Vermeer, available for free to all Vermeer lovers around the world. Stephen Fry (English language) and Joy Delima (Dutch language) will guide online visitors to explore the artist’s work and personal life. Utilising the latest available technology, for the first time visitors will be able to zoom in on the tiniest pigment particles in pin-sharp detail via ultra-high resolution photographs of some Vermeer paintings.

Closer to Johannes Vermeer www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/johannes-vermeer

The exhibition Vermeer runs from 10 February to 4 June at the Rijksmuseum.

Closer to Johannes VermeerThe digital experience Closer to Johannes Vermeer transports visitors into the artist’s universe, packed with fascinating stories and facts about Vermeer and his work. This interactive journey of discovery includes all 28 Vermeer paintings in the Rijksmuseum exhibition plus the nine additional works attributed to the artist. Available in English (narrated by Stephen Fry) and Dutch (narrated by Joy Delima), the experience also offers a rare opportunity to compare recurring motives throughout Vermeer’s paintings: pearls, yellow jackets, curtains, maps, use of the ultramarine…etc.

Ultra high resolution photographsSeveral of the Vermeer paintings can now be viewed at a resolution of 5 microns. Each pixel represents an area of 5 micrometres or 0.005mm square. The same technology is used that enabled the Rijksmuseum in 2022 to take the most detailed ever photograph of an art work (Rembrandt’s The Night Watch). Online visitors can now zoom in on Vermeer’s paintings and view even the minutest particles of pigment in ultra-sharp detail.

About Johannes VermeerJohannes Vermeer (1632-1675) lived and worked in Delft. The artist is famous all over the world for his introverted portrayals of calm domestic scenes, the unparalleled clarity and colour of his light, and his convincing use of illusionism. Vermeer (unlike Rembrandt, for example) left behind only a very small body of work – there are just 37 known works by the artist.

Vermeer exhibitionFor the first time in its history, the Rijksmuseum is staging an exhibition of the work of the 17th-century master painter Johannes Vermeer. The 28 Vermeer paintings being brought together from all over the world make this the largest-ever exhibition of the artist’s work. The art historical and technical research being conducted in the run-up to the exhibition examines his life as a man and artist, his artistic motivations and choices, and the painting process itself.