Category: Posts in English

Exhibition Details

Time: February 10, 2023 – June 4, 2023

Location: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Exhibits: 28 of the 37 (including controversial) Vermeer works, with "Girl with a Pearl Earring" being withdrawn on March 30th and returned to The Hague

Tickets:

The Exhibition Tickets (includes entry to permanent collection): 30 euros per person, with specific time slot reservations required. Tickets have sold out.

‘Friend’, The Museum Annual Pass: 50 euros for one person, 75 euros for one person with a guest. No reservations required, but has also sold out due to high demand.

However, more tickets will be available on March 6th, according to the museum officials.

What are the featured works in the exhibition?

The following works are presented in chronological order of creation. As the specific creation dates of most works are disputed in academic circles, only rough time periods are provided. The titles of the works have been selected based on those used by the official exhibition website. The pictures used in this translation are the main images found on the Wikipedia page. As Vermeer’s research has been very active in recent years, with new viewpoints emerging or being overturned, this exhibition is a culmination of those efforts.

Continue reading “The 2023 Rijksmuseum Vermeer Exhibition: Present and Absent”

The story begins with this photo.

While writing about Mr. and Mrs. Debenkorn, I came across this photo taken by Mr. Debenkorn himself on the foundation’s website, and was deeply attracted by the house, the car, and the mountains.

Continue reading “The Davenport Family of Provence”

In 1993, Richard Diebenkorn passed away at the age of 71. His wife, Phyllis Diebenkorn, survived him by 22 years and passed away at the age of 93 in January 2015 in San Francisco.

Continue reading “Mrs. Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park”

Among the thirty or so paintings that have survived by Johannes Vermeer, "The Little Street" is a particularly special one and also my favorite.

The vast majority of his works depict indoor scenes and figures, with only one outdoor view, "View of Delft," and this street view close-up. Very little is known about the painter personally or about the background to his works, but it is believed that this painting was executed around 1660 and depicts a street scene in Delft at that time.

Continue reading “Vermeer’s Little Street”

1 .

This vinyl record is the first edition of Dire Straits’ debut album, numbered 6360 162, released in 1978.

That year, China reinstated the national college entrance exam and began its reform and opening-up policy. Future Asian superstars Sun Yanzi and Ayumi Hamasaki were born in that year. The 37-year-old Bob Dylan embarked on a global tour, making his first appearance at the Nippon Budokan in Japan and preparing for the biggest stylistic change of his career after his legendary status was established.

Meanwhile, four young men from London, who had been performing in underground venues for several years, pieced together their first album. They shot to stardom right away, and the album later sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, becoming a double platinum record in the UK and the US. It also catapulted the precocious Mark Knopfler into the ranks of the greats.

Continue reading “Dire Straits in 1978”