2021: Special Vermeer Paintings Exhibition in Dresden, Germany

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by Henk Bekker

in Dresden, Germany, N24, Saxony

Johannes Vermeer: On Reflection is a special exhibition of ten paintings by the Dutch master in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany, from September 2021 to January 2022.

Johannes Vermeer On Reflection is a special exhibition of ten paintings by the Dutch master in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany, from September 2021 to January 2022.

Johannes Vermeer, Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster / Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
Detail from Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window © SKD / Wolfgang Kreische

Johannes Vermeer. Vom Innehalten is one of the largest Vermeer special exhibitions ever in Germany. It will bring ten of his paintings — almost a third of his surviving works — together in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden in Saxony, Germany, from 10 September 2021 to 2 January 2022. Advanced purchase time-slot reservation tickets are essential to visit the exhibition — buy online from Get Your Guide.

Visiting Amsterdam or the Netherlands in 2023?

The largest Vermeer exhibition ever will be in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam from 10 February to 4 June 2023 when 28 of the known 35 paintings by Vermeer will be on display.

Johannes Vermeer. On Reflection Exhibition in Germany in 2021

Vermeer Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window
Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window © SKD / Wolfgang Kreische

Johannes Vermeer. On Reflection (Johannes Vermeer. Vom Innehalten) is one of the top special art exhibitions in 2021 not only in Germany but indeed all of Europe. It will bring together ten (of around 34 surviving) paintings by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). Eight loan works from European and American art institutions will be shown in addition to the Dresden museum’s own two Vermeer paintings.

The Vermeer temporary exhibition is organized by the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) (Old Masters Paintings Gallery of the State Art Collection Dresden) to celebrate the restoration of the museum’s Vermeer: “Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window”. Removal of a large section of overpainting done long after Vermeer completed the work revealed a large standing Cupid as a painting within a painting in the background. A similar cupid painting appears in at least three other Vermeer works including in The National Gallery’s “Lady Standing at a Virginal” that will also be on show in the special Dresden exhibition.

The Vermeer paintings will be joined by around 40 further works by Dutch contemporaries of Vermeer including works by Pieter de Hooch, Gerard Dou, Frans van Mieris, and Gerard Ter Borch. However, the Vermeers are the big draw — no question about it; rarely are that many of his works seen together in the same venue.

See Ten Vermeer Paintings on Display in Dresden in 2021

The ten Vermeer paintings on display in Dresden from September 2021 to January 2022 are:

  1. Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window / Brieflesendes Mädchen am offenen Fenster, Gemäldegalerie Dresden
  2. The Procuress / Bei der Kupplerin, Gemäldegalerie Dresden
  3. The Geographer / Der Geograph, Städel Museum Frankfurt
  4. Woman Reading a Letter / Briefleserin in Blau, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
  5. The Little Street / Häuseransicht in Delft (Die kleine Straße), Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
  6. Woman with a Pearl Necklace / Mädchen mit dem Perlenhalsband, Gemäldegalerie Berlin
  7. Woman Holding a Balance / Frau mit der Waage, National Gallery of Art Washington
  8. Lady Standing at the Virginal / Stehende Virginalspielerin, The National Gallery London
  9. Diana and Her Nymphs / Diana und ihre Gefährtinnen beim Bade, Mauritshuis The Hague
  10. The Girl with the Wineglass / Das Mädchen mit dem Weinglas, Herzen Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig
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Dresden Vermeer Exhibition Visitors’ Information

Gerard Dou, Der Maler in seiner Werkstatt
Gerard Dou, Der Maler in seiner Werkstatt

Temporary exhibitions with such quality works are unfortunately relatively short. The opening of the exhibition was already postponed due to the Coronavirus from June 2021 to 10 September 2021 and it will close on 2 January 2021. 

The Vermeer exhibition is displayed in the Winckelmann Forum of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister at the Semperbau am Zwinger in Dresden, Germany.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, closing at 20:00 on Fridays.

Admission will only be by advanced purchase time-slot reservation tickets — buy online from GetYourGuide or SMD (in German). The ticket price for the Vermeer special exhibition is €12.

A combined ticket for the special exhibition on Vermeer and the Zwinger is €20 — good value as the Zwinger alone is €14 and includes the regular Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Porcelain Collection, and the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments, which is surprisingly interesting with the scientific instruments of exceedingly high artistic quality. The Vermeer exhibition is not included in any other day or combination tickets.

More Sights in Dresden

Raphael Angels Dresden

The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery) and Skulpturensammlung (Sculpture Collection) up to 1800 in the Zwinger in Dresden are absolutely worth seeing too. It has the two Vermeers, an interesting The Abduction of Ganymede by Rembrandt but the most famous painting here is Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. Even travelers unfamiliar with the madonna will have seen the two angels at the bottom of this large work emblazoned on postcards, bags, clothes, posters, and any selection of souvenirs on sale in shops from Dresden station or airport to the museum.

German Military History Museum in Dresden

Vermeer paintings are always top attractions. Although The Milkmaid and The Love Letter will still be on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Girl with the Pearl Earring and View of Delft in the Mauritshuis in Den Haag, and The Wine Glass in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, these and the other museums want their Vermeer paintings back from Dresden as quickly as possible. After all, only 34 (maybe 37) paintings are currently attributed to Vermeer.

For something completely different in Dresden, visit the German Military History Museum, commonly referred to as the War or Kriegsmuseum, for a modern German view on war and the role of the military.

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Henk Bekker in armor

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com, he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.