On this page are listed exhibitions, conferences, multimedia events and publications of the recent past which are related to the life and/or work of Johannes Vermeer.
Click here to see Vermeer-related events of the past.
Click here to view a sortable table of all past, ongoing, and future Vermeer exhibitions.
Saint Praxedis: A Continuing Debate 
"
1655
Oil on canvas, 101.6 x 82.6 cm. (40 x 32 1/2 in.)
Kufu Company Inc., on long-term loan to the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
"St Praxedis trice; Technical Examinations of St Praxedis"
Arie Wallert
https://www.essentialvermeer.com/misc/WALLERT-St-Praxedis.pdf
The painting Saint Praxedis, attributed by some scholars to Vermeer, continues to provoke heated debate. Thought to be a direct copy of an Italian work by Felice Ficherelli (1605–1669), the painting was first proposed as an early Vermeer based on a signature and date inscribed on the canvas, as well as perceived stylistic similarities to his later works. The attribution gained traction in the 1980s when curator Arthur K. Wheelock supported its inclusion in Vermeer's early oeuvre, and more recently, the painting was displayed as an authentic Vermeer in the highly anticipated Vermeer retrospective at the Rijksmuseum in 2023. However, the attribution remains fiercely contested, with some leading experts, including conservator Jørgen Wadum, rejecting the idea that Vermeer could have painted it.
Saint Praxedis, attributed by some scholars to Vermeer, continues to provoke heated debate. Thought to be a direct copy of an Italian work by Felice Ficherelli (1605–1669), the painting was first proposed as an early Vermeer based on a signature and date inscribed on the canvas, as well as perceived stylistic similarities to his later works. The attribution gained traction in the 1980s when curator Arthur K. Wheelock supported its inclusion in Vermeer's early oeuvre, and more recently, the painting was displayed as an authentic Vermeer in the highly anticipated Vermeer retrospective at the Rijksmuseum in 2023. However, the attribution remains fiercely contested, with some leading experts, including conservator Jørgen Wadum, rejecting the idea that Vermeer could have painted it.
Arie Wallert’s study on Saint Praxedis presents a meticulous examination of the painting’s origin, technique, and authorship, engaging with the long-standing debate over whether it can be attributed to Vermeer. The article situates Saint Praxedis within the broader context of its Italian prototype, a work by Ficherelli, and closely compares the technical features of both versions. Wallert approaches the question of attribution through material analysis, stylistic evaluation, and historical context, shedding new light on the painting’s possible relationship to Vermeer’s early career.
One of the key contributions of the study is its discussion of the materials and techniques used in Saint Praxedis. The analysis of pigments and underlayers suggests important differences between this painting and its Italian counterpart, raising the possibility that the Dutch version was produced in a different workshop environment. This evidence does not provide a definitive answer, but it strengthens the argument that the painting is not simply a copy in the traditional sense but rather a work with its own distinct material history. Wallert also engages with previous scholarship, including the arguments of Arthur K. Wheelock and Jørgen Wadum, presenting a nuanced discussion of the painting’s contested status.
The study also considers the broader implications of Saint Praxedis for our understanding of Vermeer’s early development. While the painting's dramatic composition and intense coloration differ significantly from his later domestic interiors, Wallert suggests that these characteristics do not necessarily rule out an early experiment with history painting. However, he acknowledges that the stark contrast between this work and Diana and Her Companions—often cited as Vermeer’s first known original composition—remains a major issue. The lack of preparatory drawings or related works by Vermeer in this style continues to fuel skepticism, reinforcing the uncertainty surrounding the painting's attribution.
Whether or not Saint Praxedis will ever be universally accepted as a Vermeer remains to be seen, but Wallert’s study ensures that the discussion remains as rigorous and informed as ever.
EV founder Jonathan Janson questions authenticity of Young Woman Seated at the Virginal (Leiden Collection)
"Young Woman Seated at a Virginal: A Second Look"
Jonathan Janson
https://www.essentialvermeer.com/misc/Young-Woman-Seated-at-a-Virginal-A-Second-Look.pdf
(attributed to Johannes Vermeer)
c. 1670
Oil on canvas, 25.2 x 20 cm.
Leiden Collection, New York
Since the 2004 sale of Young Woman Seated at a Virginal at Sotheby’s, this small canvas has been accepted as an authentic painting by Vermeer almost exclusively on the basis of a decade-long technical investigation spearheaded by Sotheby’s itself. Since then, there has been only a handful of high-intensity critical analyses of this "new Vermeer." In this essay, I attempt to evaluate the picture from a fresh point of view via a side-by-side comparison with Vermeer’s later works, such as The Lacemaker, The Guitar Player, Lady Standing at a Virginal, and Lady Seated at a Virginal. These paintings—whatever their expressive merit—rank among Vermeer's most technically refined and compositionally innovative achievements, and, by comparison, I believe, expose the rudimentary design and numerous technical shortcomings of the Leiden painting that have thus far been substantively unaddressed.
The Washington D. C: National Gallery of Art Removes Vermeer's Girl with a Flute from Display
Girl with a Flute, now attributed by the National Gallery of Art (NGA) to the "studio of Johannes Vermeer" rather than to the artist himself, is currently not on display. While the NGA has provided no future date for its return to view, the gallery explains that its temporary removal is due to the challenge of creating a balanced wall display and managing the limited space available to exhibit its collection.
In light of the NGA's reclassification, the decision not to display the painting may disadvantage both visitors and scholars who wish to evaluate and enjoy the painting, as it limits opportunities to engage with this debated work, especially considering that the work was for years hung next to Vermeer's Girl with a Red Hat and Woman Holding a Balance, and in close proximity to the Lady Writing. Displaying Girl with a Flute alongside the these Vermeer paintings would offer an invaluable chance for comparison and analysis, particularly given its historical inclusion in Vermeer's oeuvre. The reasoning behind the painting’s reattribution is detailed in the online publication "Vermeer’s Studio and the Girl with a Flute: New Findings from the National Gallery of Art," Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art 14:2 (Summer 2022), authored by Marjorie E. Wieseman, Alexandra Libby, E. Melanie Gifford, and Dina Anchin.
Following the NGA publication, the Rijksmuseum displayed Girl with a Flute as an authentic Vermeer in its 2023 Vermeer retrospective. Jonathan Janson, founder of Essential Vermeer, has released a YouTube video defending the painting's authenticity, critically analyzing the NGA's claims and presenting arguments in support of its attribution to Vermeer.
Vermeer-Related Publication
John Ringling and the Greta Garbo Vermeer
Linda R. McKee and Deborah W. Walk
August 17, 2024
https://amzn.to/4a1jTQ1
Linda R. McKee and Deborah W. Walk
John Ringling was one of the most prolific encyclopedic art collectors of the early twentieth century in America. Despite many purchases and acquisitions, his eponymous museum in Sarasota, Florida contained few written records of his art activities. This all changed in 1995 when The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Archives received a treasure trove of German archival documents sent to them by Julius Böhler's nephew, Florian Eitle-Böhler. There was now secure evidence that Ringling was not only a collector, he was an investor and partner, working in close consort with his dealer Julius Wilhelm Böhler (1883-1966).
This book is a case study of the life of a painting that typifies much of the unpleasant side of the business of the international art world. The story is a result of serendipity, the author in 2008 reading Jonathan Lopez's book, The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren, and discovering that Ringling himself was once the co-owner, not of a Van Meegeren, but of a well-known but poor Vermeer imitation, The Girl With the Blue Hat.
Special Vermeer Exhibiton at the Newly Reopened Frick Collection in 2025
Vermeer’s Love Letters
June 18 –September 8, 2025
Frick Collection, New York
The Frick Collection will reopen in April 2025 (exact date to be announced), introducing significant changes and additions to its renowned New York City mansion. Among the highlights of the reopening is a groundbreaking Vermeer exhibition, Vermeer’s Love Letters,which will bring together three notable Vermeer paintings with a letter-writing theme: Mistress and Maid (Frick Collection), The Love Letter (Rijksmuseum), and Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid (National Gallery of Ireland). This exhibition will run from June 18 to September 8, 2025, and will showcase Vermeer's intimate depictions of letter-writing within a specially-designed gallery, offering an unparalleled viewing experience, and will offer visitors an opportunity to consider Vermeer’s treatment of the theme of letters as well as his depiction of women of different social classes.
The exhibition is curated by Dr. Robert Fucci, a distinguished expert on Vermeer from the University of Amsterdam, who will author a catalogue focused on the three works and their broader themes in seventeenth-century Dutch art.
In addition to the Vermeer exhibition, the museum’s extensive renovations include opening the second floor of the mansion to the public for the first time. This newly accessible space will feature ten galleries, including the Boucher Room in its original setting, along with displays of recently acquired objects, clocks, and watches. Visitors can also explore a new Cabinet Gallery on the first floor, which will exhibit rare drawings and sketches by artists such as Rubens, Degas, and Goya.
This reopening underscores the Frick's dedication to both its historic legacy and the enhancement of public access to its collections, aiming to captivate both new and returning visitors with its transformed and expanded spaces.
Vermeer's House: Hans Slager Rebufs Frans Grijzenhout's Rrecent Claims about the Location of Johannes Vermeer's House
Vermeer's House Again and the Jesuit Church
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/misc/SLAGER-VermeersHouseAgainandtheJesuit%20Church.pdf
October, 2024
In his article "Vermeer's House Again and the Jesuit Church," Hans Slager critiques Frans Grijzenhout's recent claims about the location of Johannes Vermeer's house (published in "Finding Vermeer, Back to the Molenpoort") and the hidden Jesuit church in Delft. Grijzenhout relies on a 1674 taxation ledger to place Vermeer’s residence at the eastern corner of the Molenpoort, but Slager argues that this method is flawed due to the many unknowns, guesswork, and incomplete research. Instead, Slager maintains his previously reasoned likelihood that Vermeer lived on the western corner of the Molenpoort, in a house called Trapmolen. He emphasizes that there is no solid proof for Grijzenhout's theory and critiques his reliance on assumptions.
Furthermore, Grijzenhout's analysis of the Jesuit church's location on the Oude Langendijk is also challenged. Slager contends that Grijzenhout misinterprets historical documents and overlooks key archival data. Grijzenhout suggests the church was located in the second and third houses east of the Molenpoort, while Slager maintains that it was in the fourth and fifth house, supported by schematic reconstructions and archival data.
If you prefer, you can click here to view the PDF in a new tab.
A Pulldown Database of Johannes Vermeer's Artistic, Social, and Personal Interactions
This interactive study is an exploration of the diverse and interconnected relationships that Johannes Vermeer maintained throughout his life with his professional, private mileau, and broader cultural setting. To illustrate these relationships, a list has been developed of individuals who may have come into contact, influenced, or been influenced by Vermeer, whether directly, or indirectly. This includes painters, clients, relatives, amateur scientists, writers, men of culture, as well as civic and religious officials.
Each entry is accompanied by an essential discourse on the individual's contributions or relevance in their respective fields, followed by their specific interactions or connections with Vermeer. The latter is indicated by an icon of Vermeer's signature.
Frans Grijzenhout Revises the Location of Vermeer's House
"Finding Vermeer"
by Frans Grijzenhout
April, 2024
Art historians, historiographers, and archive researchers have long debated the precise location where Vermeer resided with his family in a house rented by his mother-in-law, Maria Thins, in the Papenhoek (Papists’ Corner) area of Delft, where Vermeer presumably painted for most of his career. Was it the house called Groot Serpent on the eastern corner of Oude Langendijk and Molenpoort, or Trapmolen, on the western corner?
Over the past several decades, art history literature, following the archivist A.J.J.M. van Peer’s lead, has virtually without exception asserted that it was the large Groot Serpent. However, archival researcher Hans Slager has recently submitted that Vermeer and his family family actually lived in the smaller Trapmolen. This location was embraced by Pieter Roelefs in the catalogue of the Rijksmuseum Vermeer retrospective of 2023.
However, Frans Grijzenhout, art historian of the Early Modern Period, now presents an archival source that has not yet been included in the debate on the location of Vermeer's house, overturning Slager's claim. Moreover, Grijzenhout brings forward arguments to establish the exact location on Oude Langendijk of the Jesuit church, a significnat landmark for Delft's Catholic community as well as for Vermeer and his family.
Essential Vermeer goes YouTube!
After months of struggling to squash the formidable learning curve of producing video content, I've launched my latest intuitive: YouTube channel called My Take!: Vermeer’s Paintings One by One.
So why on earth did it ever come to this? Well, in the last twenty years I’ve done my very best to present the most thorough and balanced view of Vermeer’s art on the Essential Vermeer capitalizing on the immense and largely unexplored potential of the internet in regards to art historical issues. One of my top priorities has been objectivity. However, in recent years I've felt a growing need to communicate my own thoughts and feelings tempered by years of experience as a painter and ordinary person in front of extraordinary art.
The most efficient and effective means to communicate highly personalized content of this type is, I believe, via the video. It has the added advantage of allowing me to express myself with absolute freedom while maintaining the boundaries between the contents Essential Vermeer website and my videos clearly demarked.
I’ve just uploaded the first two videos: one on the Girl with a Flute, which the National Gallery of Art has officially demoted, and the other, A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals in the New York Leiden Collection.
- My Take: Girl with a Pearl Earring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oU6FCr6K34 - My Take: Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
https://youtu.be/15PJ_5WQECo - My Take: Young Woman Seated at the Virginals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otelenp40oA - My Take: Girl with a Flute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67DFAYyvOE8