CLOSE TO VERMEER

The large-scale Vermeer exhibition this spring attracted 650,000 visitors to the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Suzanne Raes gives fascinating insights behind the scenes of this blockbuster art event, where experts try to decode the mysterious painter of “Girl With A Pearl Earring” and mighty cultural institutions compete in interpreting his work. There’s also a surprising amount of people deeply moved to tears – even three hundred years after his death, Vermeer still has the capacity to enchant the viewer.