DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Museum of Art presents Vermeer Suite: Music in 17th-Century Dutch Paintings, an exhibition organized by the DMA showcasing paintings from the prestigious Leiden Collection of New York, including a work by Johannes Vermeer. The great 17th-century Dutch painter created fewer than forty paintings during his lifetime, and Young Woman Seated at a Virginal from 1670–72 is believed to be one of Vermeer’s last. This masterpiece is the inspiration for the DMA exhibition Vermeer Suite: Music in 17th-Century Dutch Paintings, which includes seven additional loans from The Leiden Collection of works by Vermeer’s contemporaries—artists Jan Steen, Gerard ter Borch, Jacob Adriaensz Ochtervelt, Eglon van der Neer, Gerard Dou, and Frans van Mieris—whose paintings also portray musicians performing period instruments such as the lute, violin, and violincello and demonstrate key aspects of 17th-century musical culture.
Vermeer Suite: Music in 17th-Century Dutch Paintings, on view for free January 17 through August 21, 2016, is the first exhibition of work from The Leiden Collection focused exclusively on Dutch art. Of the thirty-six known surviving paintings by Vermeer, twelve depict musical themes or include a musical instrument. The exhibition centers on Vermeer’s painting Young Woman Seated at a Virginal, which is typical of the acclaimed artist’s style in its depiction of a solitary woman seated at the keyboard instrument with light illuminating the scene from a window not seen on the canvas. Music was one of the most popular subjects in 17th-century Dutch painting and carried diverse, and sometimes contradictory, associations. The Dutch believed music to be a divine gift or spiritual medicine, to which the mottos inscribed on many of the period’s instruments attest. Yet melody-making was simultaneously experienced as belonging to the sensuous realm of pleasure.
“These eight works of art on loan from The Leiden Collection are precious, delicate, intimate, fun, and amazing paintings. Centered on one masterpiece by Vermeer, Vermeer Suite also features his contemporaries playing their various parts in different tunes,” said Olivier Meslay, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, Senior Curator of European and American Art, and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon Curator of European Art at the Dallas Museum of Art. “Dutch paintings from the 17th century are among the most fascinating creations of the Western world, and this focused exhibition presents this extraordinary time period beautifully.”
Musical harmony was a particularly popular metaphor in 17th-century Dutch imagery, standing in for romantic, martial, or familial unity. Specific musical instruments were also invested with symbolism, such as the lute, which carried sexual associations because its shape was thought to imitate the female form. In addition to the traditional symbolism of Dutch genre scenes, music as subject matter became a testament to the artist’s ability. The skill it took to represent an ephemeral and auditory performance in visual terms was highly prized. Translating one type of sensory experience into another was considered a virtuosic talent.
DMA Friends will be able to earn the Vermeer Suite: Music in 17th-Century Dutch Paintings Special Exhibition Badge. The DMA’s weekly Wednesday Gallery Talk at 12:15 p.m. will focus on the exhibition on January 20 and May 18. The Bancroft Family Concert series at the DMA will celebrate the exhibition on Saturday, February 20, at 3:00 p.m. during the free concert with early music scholar Kristin Van Cleve. Additional programs will be scheduled throughout the run of the exhibition.
Vermeer Suite: Music in 17th-Century Dutch Paintings is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art with paintings on loan from The Leiden Collection. The exhibition is curated by Olivier Meslay, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, Senior Curator of European and American Art, and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon Curator of European Art. The exhibition is included in free general admission.
