Rijksmuseum – Largest Vermeer Exhibition Ever in Amsterdam in 2023

In 2023, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam displayed 28 Vermeer paintings in the largest exhibition ever by this famous Dutch painter.

The next solo exhibition in the Rijksmuseum is Frans Hals from 16 February to 9 June 2024. A similar exhibition is on show at the National Gallery in London from 30 September 2023 to 21 January 2024 and in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin from 12 July to 3 November 2024.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam staged the largest retrospective exhibition of Johannes Vermeer paintings ever for the first half of 2023 — 28 of the known 35 Vermeer paintings are on display. The Vermeer exhibition, in cooperation with the Mauritshuis in Den Haag, includes loan works from all over the world and will be on view from 10 February to 4 June 2023 in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Note: all time-slot reservation tickets for the Vermeer exhibition have sold out. No further tickets will be available. Buy normal Rijksmuseum tickets online but note that these give only access to the regular permanent collection.

Special Vermeer Exhibition in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in 2023

In the spring of 2023, the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands, dedicated a retrospective exhibition to the 17th-century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) for the first time in its history. With loans from all over the world, this is the largest Vermeer exhibition ever.

The special Vermeer exhibition is a collaboration between the Rijksmuseum which owns four Vermeer paintings and the Mauritshuis in The Hague which owns three. Both museums will conduct research into Vermeer’s artistry, his artistic choices, and motivations for his compositions, as well as into the creative process of his paintings.

At the same time, the Museum Prinsenhof Delft organizes the exhibition Vermeer’s Delft (10 February to 4 June 2023). This is the first-ever exhibition to explore in-depth the cultural-historical context in which Vermeer’s practice flourished.

See also: Tips on Visiting the Vermeer Exhibition in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2023.

Vermeer Paintings in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2023

Only around 35 paintings by Johannes Vermeer survived — inevitably some are disputed. Ten Vermeers were on display in a special Vermeer exhibition in Dresden at the end of 2021, and 22 were at the Mauritshuis in 1996.

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam has around 28 paintings (some are only staying for part of the exhibition) to ensure it is the largest-ever collection of Vermeer paintings displayed simultaneously in a temporary exhibition.

The Rijksmuseum itself has four masterpieces by Vermeer, including the world-famous The Milkmaid and View of Houses in Delft, Known as ‘The Little Street’ but also Woman Reading a Letter and The Love Letter.

Confirmed loans from other museums include The Girl with a Pearl Earring (Mauritshuis, The Hague, but only until late March 2023!), The Geographer (Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main), Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid (The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin), and Woman Holding a Balance (The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC).

A Vermeer work never before shown to the public in the Netherlands is the newly restored Girl Reading a Letter at the Open Window from the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden.

Full List of 28 Vermeer Paintings in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2023

The full list of 28 paintings by Vermeer on display in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2023 includes:

1. A Lady Writing, 1664–67, National Gallery of Art, Washington 
2. A Young Woman seated at a Virginal, c. 1670–72, The National Gallery, London 
3. A Young Woman standing at a Virginal, 1670–72, The National Gallery, London 
4. Allegory of the Catholic Faith, 1670–74, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
5. Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, 1654–55, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
6. Diana and her Nymphs, 1655–56, Mauritshuis, The Hague 
7. Girl Interrupted at Her Music, c. 1659–61, The Frick Collection, New York 
8. Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, 1657-58, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden 
9. Girl with a Flute, 1664–67, National Gallery of Art, Washington 
10. Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1664–67, Mauritshuis, The Hague — this popular painting is back in the Mauritshuis from 1 April 2023.
11. Girl with the Red Hat, 1664–67, National Gallery of Art, Washington 
12. Mistress and Maid, c. 1665–67, The Frick Collection, New York 
13. Officer and Laughing Girl, 1657-58, The Frick Collection, New York 
14. Saint Praxedis, 1655, Kufu Company Inc., The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
15. The Geographer, 1669, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main 
16. The Glass of Wine, c. 1659-61, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie 
17. The Lacemaker, 1666–68, Musée du Louvre, Paris 
18. The Love Letter, 1669-70, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 
19. The Milkmaid, 1658-59, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 
20. The Procuress, 1656, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
21. View of Delft, 1660-61, Mauritshuis, The Hague  
22. View of Houses in Delft, known as ‘The Little Street’, 1658-59, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
23. Woman Holding a Balance, ca. 1662–64, National Gallery of Art, Washington
24. Woman in Blue Reading a Letter, 1662-64, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 
25. Woman with a Pearl Necklace, c. 1662-64, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
26. Woman Writing a Letter, with her Maid, 1670–72, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
27. Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, c. 1670‐72, The Leiden Collection, New York
28. Young Woman with a Lute, 1662–64, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Note that a few of the paintings will not be on display for the entire period.

Vermeer in Delft Exhibition

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) lived and worked in Delft. His work is best known for his tranquil, introverted indoor scenes, his unprecedented use of bright, colorful light, and his convincing illusionism. In contrast to Rembrandt, Vermeer left a remarkably small oeuvre with about 35 paintings. Although there is a popular Vermeer Centrum in Delft, none of his paintings are owned or displayed in his hometown.

Parallel to the Vermeer exhibition in the Rijksmuseum, Museum Prinsenhof Delft organized the exhibition Vermeer’s Delft (10 February to 4 June 2023). This is the first-ever exhibition to explore in-depth the cultural-historical context in which Vermeer’s practice flourished. Works by Delft contemporaries are displayed alongside Delft pottery, Delft carpets, archival materials, and letters.

Tickets and Opening Hours for the Vermeer Exhibition in Amsterdam 2023

Note: by mid-February, ALL time-slot reservation tickets for the Vermeer exhibition have sold out – no further tickets will be available. The “Friends of the Rijksmuseum” loophole was also closed.

The special Vermeer exhibition in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is from 10 February to 4 June 2023. Opening hours for the main museum and the Vermeer exhibition are daily 9:00 to 17:00 with extended hours until 22:00 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the Vermeer exhibition. Timeslot reservation tickets are essential to visit the Vermeer exhibition. A €7.50 surcharge is paid on top of the regular ticket prices. The Vermeer exhibition may not be seen separately but the regular cheaper tickets continue to give access to the permanent exhibition – buy regular Rijksmuseum tickets online (without Vermeer).

• Tickets for the Rijksmuseum are usually €22.50 but will be €30 during the Vermeer exhibition for adults and free for children under 18. Separate tickets for the Vermeer exhibition are not sold.
• The Museumkaart and iAmsterdam Card are accepted but online time-slot reservations are essential and may require a €10 surcharge during the Vermeer exhibition.

Tickets are cheapest directly from the Rijksmuseum  but Tiqets often have easier cancelation and refund options. Combinations with further tours may give small discounts, e.g. with the Van Gogh Museum, Rembrandt House, Artis Zoo, or a canal cruise.

If visiting a temporary exhibition in the Rijksmuseum, the admission time is usually for entry into the special exhibition. Enter the main museum freely directly afterward but note that it is not possible to see the Rijksmuseum after the Vermeer exhibition for late afternoon or evening timeslots.

The nearby Van Gogh Museum will have several temporary exhibitions in 2023, including a large Gustav Klimt collection, but no Vermeers, while the MOCO Amsterdam is also hugely popular with admirers of contemporary art and work by Banksy.