Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands sold out

Just days after opening to the public, the long-awaited Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum is already sold out. 200,000 tickets have already been sold before the exhibition opens, and social media users are harshly critical of the institution, calling the situation "disappointing" with many saying the site has been down all weekend, preventing them from even even booking tickets.

According to the museum, for the first time, 28 of the 37 works attributed to "the 17th-century master Johannes Vermeer" will be assembled. Last November, when the list of works by Vermeer that will be on display was announced, the director of the Rijksmuseum, Taco Dibbits, said that this show is "an unprecedented opportunity" for "all Vermeer lovers, but also for researchers, conservators and art historians" appreciate "such a high number of paintings in a single space". This is because one of the particularities is the collection of works by Vermeer that are spread across 14 museums or private collections in seven countries, including seven paintings that have not been shown in the Netherlands for more than two centuries, wrote the Associated Press agency.

Of the Baroque painter, who died almost 350 years ago and about whom little is known about his personal life, portraits, landscapes and some paintings of a religious nature will be on display, revealing his mastery of the play of light and shadow, says the Rijksmuseum. Among the works on display, until June 4th, are "Girl with a Pearl Earring", The Milkmaid", "The Geographer" and "Landscape of Delft", the city where Vermeer lived and worked.
In addition to the exhibition, the Rijksmuseum also promotes an "online" interactive "digital experience" that transports visitors to Vermeer's universe and allows viewing and expanding the paintings, reproduced in high-resolution photographs.