Vermeer’s ‘A Lady Writing’ at Chrysler Museum of Art

Tue, Nov 1 - Sun, Dec 18  2016

Chrysler Museum of Art - Washington Embassy Region

The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, exhibits the Johannes Vermeer masterpiece, ‘A Lady Writing’, on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. until December 18. Vermeer’s works are as highly regarded as they are rare, as only 35 of his paintings survive to this day. An incredibly skilled craftsman held in high esteem by his fellow Dutch Golden Age painters in the city of Delft, his understanding of light and its color-related effects are revered to this day. After his death in 1675, he left behind 11 children and many debts. Since most of his paintings were sold to local collectors, his fame did not spread and his work was largely overlooked until the 19th century. Vermeer worked slowly, roughly three paintings per year, and used very expensive pigments, such as lapis lazuli, or natural ultramarine.

About the Chrysler Museum of Art 

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands of objects from his private collection to the Museum. In the years since Chrysler’s death in 1988, the Museum has dramatically enhanced its collection and extended its ties with the Norfolk community. The Museum, expanded in 2014 to add additional gallery spaces and amenities for visitors, now has growing collections in many areas. The Chrysler also mounts an ambitious schedule of visiting exhibitions and educational programs and events each season.