Johannes Vermeer, Dutch (1632–1675). A Lady Writing, about 1665. Oil on canvas, Overall: 17 11/16 x 15 11/16 inches. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr., in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer.
For the first time, a painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer will be on public view in Kansas City. That work is part of a new exhibition, Reflecting Class in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer, coming in February.
The museum says the exhibition is the first to explore 17th-century Dutch painting through the lens of social class.
“This exhibition eloquently portrays the distinctions between classes and gives great insight into the social fabric of the culture. The study of 17th-century Dutch painting is rich in interpretive approaches, and the paintings in this exhibition illuminate the complex relationship between art and the society for which it was made,” CEO and Director of the Nelson-Atkins, Julian Zugazagoitia, said.
Job Adriaensz. Berckheyde, Dutch (1630-1693). The Baker, about 1681. Oil on canvas, 24 15/16 x 20 7/8 inches (63.3 x 53 cm). Worcester Art Museum (MA), Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Milton P. Higgins, 1975.105. Image © Worcester Art Museum
“The exhibition, which opened to critical acclaim at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was declared by the Wall Street Journal to be a “splendid’ and ‘altogether outstanding exhibition.’ The New York Times commended the ‘prodigious show’ for ‘its eye-opening array of paintings,’ and the Financial Times called it ‘an addictive show with all the materialistic obsessiveness of an artistic Downton Abbey,” the Nelson-Atkins said in an announcement.
Artists featured include Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch, Gerard ter Borch and Gerrit Dou, among others. The works are on loan or come from public or private collections. The Nelson’s Young Man in a Black Beret by Rembrand and its paintings by Frans Hals and Gerrit Dou will also be on display.
Details
Reflecting Class in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer, February 24 through May 29, 2016 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
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