The Rijksmuseum lends The Milkmaid for six weeks. The world-famous work of Johannes Vermeer can be seen from Friday in the museum complex on the Amstel, as the Hermitage calls itself after the break with the mother museum in Saint Petersburg.
After the museum’s break with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and the premature closing of the newly opened exhibition Russian avant-garde an exceptionally urgent situation arose. Under the name Dutch Heritage Amsterdam, the museum is now presenting a five-part series, each focusing on one masterpiece from a leading Dutch collection. The Milkmaid (ca. 1660) kicks off from Friday 1 April to Sunday 15 May.
With the generous gesture of the Rijksmuseum, director Annabelle Birnie’s fervent wish is fulfilled. Shortly after the closure of Russian avant-garde she said she would prefer to show ‘some of the walls, not the depots’ of other museums. “Because it must meet the quality experience that the public is used to from the Hermitage. And it is simply high.”
In view of the acute situation, Taco Dibbits, chief director of the Rijksmuseum, considers it only normal to support a ‘colleague museum’. “That’s why we decided to lend one of the masterpieces.” The Milkmaid is one of the public favorites of the Rijksmuseum. The painting is rarely lent; the last time was in 2017 for the exhibition Vermeer and the masters of genre painting: Inspiration and rivalry at the National Gallery of Art in Dublin.
Iconic use of color
The world-famous painting by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) will be exhibited in a special way in the 17th-century building on the Amstel, with attention to a range of aspects: from technical details and the iconic use of color by the master to music and scent. from that time. Attention is also paid to the artist and the historical backgrounds. “We are still working on it with all our might,” said Marlies Kleiterp, head of exhibitions. “We are creating something very special. The Rijksmuseum not only lends the painting, but also makes their insane knowledge and expertise available.”
In the spring of 2023, the Rijksmuseum itself will dedicate a retrospective exhibition to Vermeer for the first time in its history, with masterpieces such as Girl with the pearl (Mauritshuis, The Hague), the geographer (Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main), Writing woman with maid (The National Gallery of Art, Dublin) and the recently restored Woman reading a letter at the open window (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden). The Rijksmuseum itself has four paintings by Vermeer in its collection: Letter reading woman† The Street† the love letter and The milkmaid.
New programming
What masterpiece next The Milkmaid can be seen on the Amstel, will be announced a few days before the last day of the first ‘focus exhibition’. A total of five works of art will be shown in successive presentations. A new program will be presented after the summer.
The museum is now reflecting on its long-term future. “We will have to reinvent ourselves,” Birnie said earlier. “It never actually happens that a museum has to reinvent itself completely, so it’s a tough challenge.”
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