His paintings have inspired best sellers such as Tracy Chevalier’s “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” and Hollywood directors. Johannes Vermeer, one of thr greatest Dutch masters of the 17th century and one of the best known and loved artists of all 
time, almost 400 years on his paintings still stirs the emotions in museums all over the world. An exhibition of a broad selection of his work is being held for the first time in Italy, at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. Eight of the painter’s masterpieces will be on show, ranging from idealized women to the famous “Little Street”. Not a large number of paintings, but a great achievement considering that in the past hundred years only three exhibitions have managed to bring tighter more than four of Vermeer’s works. Everyone is keenly awaiting this opportunity to admire some of the works of the Dutch master (he produced no more than fifty paintings, all on commission) whose unequalled genius is evident in the elegance and refinement of his style. The exhibition also brings tighter fifty works by fifty other artists working in Holland during the Golden Age, all noted for their great technical ability to depict light, including Carel Fabritius, Nikolas Maes, Gerard her Borch, Pieter de Hooch and Jacob Ochtervelt. This is a rare chance to succumb to the magic of Vermeer, whose popularity knew highs and lows for centuries until the 19th century when the appreciation of Marcel Proust and other personalities ensured his continuing fame.
September 27th 2012 – January 20th 2013
“Vermeer, the Golden Age of Dutch Painting”
Scuderie del Quirinale – Via XXIV Maggio, 16
Information: 0639967500, www.scuderiequirinale.it