'The charm of Vermeer is at once obvious and elusive'
Craig Raine, New Statesman
'If music be the food of art, play on'
Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times
Featuring the Academy of Ancient Music as Resident Ensemble
Explore the musical pastimes of the 17th-century Netherlands through this exhibition combining the art of Vermeer and his contemporaries with rare musical instruments, songbooks and live music.
For the first time the National Gallery’s two paintings by Vermeer, A Young Woman standing at a Virginal and A Young Woman seated at a Virginal are brought together with Vermeer’s Guitar Player, which is currently on exceptional loan from the Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House.
Music was one of the most popular themes in Dutch painting, and carried many diverse associations. In portraits, a musical instrument or songbook might suggest the education or social position of the sitter; in scenes of everyday life, it might act as a metaphor for harmony, or a symbol of transience.
The exhibition displays 17th-century virginals (a type of harpsichord), guitars and lutes alongside the paintings to offer unique insights into the painters’ choice of instruments, and the difference between the real instruments and the way in which the painters chose to represent them.
Exhibition Cinema
Two short films, 'Vermeer: Painter of Music' and 'Music and Painting in the Dutch Golden Age' are being shown at regular intervals throughout the day in the exhibition cinema - last showing 5.30pm (Friday 8.30pm).
Live Music
Complementing the exhibition, members of the Academy of Ancient Music play 17th-century music in the exhibition space at intervals on Thursdays (from 11am), Fridays (from 3pm) and Saturdays (from 11am).
Along with the audio guide and exhibition films, the live music has been designed to enrich the serene ambience created in paintings by Vermeer and other masters of the Dutch Golden Age.
There is a limited capacity in the performance area and exhibition tickets do not guarantee access. Please note there will be no live music on Saturday 20th July.
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Supported by The Hata Stichting Foundation, The Blavatnik Family Foundation, Susan and John Singer, The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sir Vernon and Lady Ellis.