Letter from Amsterdam

Very occasionally exhibitions such as Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum come along. Those of a cynical cast will remember the previous ‘never-to-be-repeated’ Vermeer exhibitions at the Mauritshuis in the Hague and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. So what’s the deal with this one?

Vermeer is thought to have painted fewer than 50 paintings, only 37 of which survive. The Rijksmuseum has gathered 28 of these fragile canvases – more than any of the previous shows. The only notable omissions are The Art of Painting (the Kunsthistoriches in Vienna said “yes”, then it didn’t show up) and the Royal Collection’s The Music Lesson. But it is the display of the works in a series of rooms, chambers even, that makes a difference. Some rooms have only one work on the wall – whereas the experience at the Mauritshuis was like shuffling through passport control. And there is no fleshing out the show with comparative works, or distracting flashy films.

This is entirely appropriate for paintings in which quiet and silence reign, in which time stands still. Which is not to say that nothing happens in these pictures. Of course, the temptation is to fillet the works for a narrative. What is in the letter that the girl is reading? Her flushed, downcast look, together with Cupid on the wall looking at us full in the face, suggest it’s a love affair gone awry. The same could be said for the Mistress and Maid, lent by the Frick Collection in New York City. What is the maid saying and why is her ermine-cuffed mistress so perplexed? To dwell too long on the subtext could mean one misses the details. The shift between crystalline focus and deftly blurry strokes that draws the viewer into the world of a 17th-century household is breathtakingly masterful. And, for all the talk about Vermeer using a camera obscura, remember that the famous pearl earring is composed of barely two strokes of a brush. So much for hyperrealism. It has always been thought that Vermeer’s main patron was Pieter van Ruijven, a wealthy Delft merchant who bought half the artist’s works. New research has now revealed it was van Ruijven’s wife, Maria de Knuijt, who began buying Vermeers in 1657, the year the artist switched from painting religious scenes to focus on domestic interiors. In 17th-century Netherlands, the lady of the house took the lead on furnishings and buying pictures. Could de Knuijt have been behind Vermeer’s shift in subject matter?

The Hermitage Amsterdam is joining in with Rembrandt & His Contemporaries. Showing until 27 August, this draws on the private Leiden Collection from New York to set the master in the company of his fellow artists, including Pieter Lastman, Jan Lievens, Jan Steen and Frans van Mieris.

Everybody thinks they know about van Gogh’s life. But the current exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum, Choosing Vincent: Portrait of a Family History (until 10 April), tells the less well-known story of what happened after the artist committed suicide. When Theo, van Gogh’s beloved brother, died, all the artist’s works were bequeathed to Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Theo’s wife, and their son, also called Vincent. It was Vincent junior who kept the collection together and created the Van Gogh Museum which opened in 1973. The show has many of the artist’s major works, punctuated with photographs and drawings of his family who preserved the paintings.

For a break from the Golden Age, do go to Moco Museum, housed in the Villa Alsberg, to see a wide-ranging collection of modern, contemporary and street art. The permanent displays contain familiar names such as Tracey Emin, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, as well as new pioneers on the scene. Among Moco’s current exhibitions are NFT (The New fuTure) and Digital Immersive Art, running until August, and the permanent Banksy: Laugh Now, which features a tantalisingly unauthorised selection of the artist’s original works including Laugh Now, Girl with Balloon and Flower Thrower. Amsterdam is the place to be this season.

Where to eat:

The food scene in Amsterdam has never received the publicity it deserves, with a number of outstanding places specialising in local produce or paying homage to French cuisine. The leading haute cuisine establishment is Spectrum, which overlooks the courtyard garden of the Waldorf Astoria. Chef Sidney Schutte, formerly of De Librije, Holland’s most renowned restaurant, focuses on local produce from the countryside and ocean, and has a broad vegetarian menu. Maris Piper, one of a group of excellent restaurants, is a laid-back casual brasserie with a simple but serious wine list – more than 200 bottles. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, there is an exclusive chef’s table. De Juwelier, a retro-style bistro, serves interesting seafood such as turbot with wild mushrooms and duck liver, or skate with beurre noisette and kale. Meat dishes are also on offer, such as beef tartare with veal brains or oxtail filled with poached marrow. They also run a fish restaurant called Bistro de la Mer. L.B.