Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

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This landmark exhibition examines the artistic exchanges among Johannes Vermeer and his contemporaries from the mid-1650s to around 1680, when they reached the height of their technical ability and mastery of genre painting, or depictions of daily life. The introduction of quiet scenes unfolding in private household spaces and featuring elegant ladies and gentlemen was among the most striking innovations of Dutch painting of the Golden Age, a time of unparalleled innovation and prosperity. The exhibition brings together nearly 70 works by Vermeer and his fellow painters, including Gerard ter Borch, Gerrit Dou, Pieter de Hooch, Gabriel Metsu, Frans van Mieris, Caspar Netscher, and Jan Steen, who lived in various towns throughout the Dutch Republic, from Delft and Deventer to Amsterdam and Leiden. Juxtaposing paintings related by theme, motif, and composition, the exhibition explores how these artists inspired, rivaled, surpassed, and pushed each other to greater artistic achievement. The exhibition features 10 paintings by Vermeer (many of which have not been seen in the United States since the Gallery’s 1995–1996 exhibition Johannes Vermeer), including The Lacemaker (c. 1669–1670, Musée du Louvre, Paris) and The Love Letter (c. 1669–1670, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). A fully illustrated catalog features essays by the curators and essays and entries by a team of international scholars.

This exhibition is curated by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque paintings, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Dr. Adriaan Waiboer, head of collections and research, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; and Blaise Ducos, curator of Dutch and Flemish paintings, Musée du Louvre, Paris.

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Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Johannes Vermeer, The Lacemaker, c. 1670–1671, oil on canvas on panel, Musée du Louvre, Département des peintures, Paris, Acquired in 1870

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Gabriel Metsu, Man Writing a Letter, c. 1664–1666, oil on panel, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection)

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Gabriel Metsu, Woman Reading a Letter, c. 1664–1666, oil on panel, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection)

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Johannes Vermeer, A Lady Writing, c. 1665-1667, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr, in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Johannes Vermeer, The Love Letter, c. 1669-1670, oil on canvas, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Gerrit Dou, Woman at the Clavichord, c. 1665, oil on panel, By Permission of the Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery, London

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Gerard ter Borch, Lady at Her Toilet, c. 1660, oil on canvas, Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Eleanor Clay Ford Fund, General Membership Fund, Endowment Income Fund and Special Activities Fund

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Caspar Netscher, Woman Feeding a Parrot, with a Page, 1666, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Gabriel Metsu, The Intruder, c. 1659–1662, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Gerard ter Borch, The Suitor’s Visit, c. 1658, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection

Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry

Johannes Vermeer, The Astronomer, 1668, oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris, Département des peintures, Acquired by "dation" in 1982.  Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre)/Franck Raux

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Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, and the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Sponsors: BP is proud to be a major sponsor of this exhibition as part of its support of the arts in the U.S. and U.K. The exhibition is also generously supported by the Hata Foundation, Dr. Mihael and Mrs. Mahy Polymeropoulos, and The Exhibition Circle of the National Gallery of Art.

The exhibition in Washington is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Attendance: 266,427

Catalog: Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting. By Adriaan Waiboer, et al. Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, 2017.

Brochure: Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting: Inspiration and Rivalry, by Alexandra Libby. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2017. 

Other venues: Musée du Louvre, Paris, February 22–May 22, 2017
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, June 17–September 17, 2017