The Vermeer Centrum in Delft
Delft is the city of Johannes Vermeer, where – according to all we know – he spent his whole life. But alas, Delft cannot praise itself on owning even a single painting by the master. Luckily the Vermeer Center in Delft has been established in 2007. Situated at the canal Voldersgracht near the market square, it presents us an overview of Vermeer's career, his development as a painter, the environment that shaped him and the works of art he created. For this the Vermeer Centrum provides us with 37 high quality photographic reproductions of his paintings in original size.
We get valuable impressions of the work of Johannes Vermeer and of life in Delft in his time, with the aid of photographs of his paintings, an interactive map full of interesting insights and a camera obscura that brings the outside activity on the street literally into the building. Vermeer is suspected to have used this device as well, to prepare the composition of his paintings. The restoration of Vermeer's "Reading woman in blue" of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, that was performed some years ago, is being explained in elucidating detail and deepens our knowledge of his work. As does a presentation on his use of symbolic elements. A gallery that is dedicated to Vermeers' artistic practice constitutes a special highlight of the Vermeer Centrum. Here we can gather valuable information on the painting materials and pigments he (and his contemporary painters) used.