Vermeer - The Rijksmuseum's major exhibition catalogue

A good gift for someone who couldn't make it to the exhibition.

very well illustrated and texts interesting

Although one is impressed by the text and the information given about both the paintings and the artist - tho we know very little about him - I feel the paper and therefore the photographs are of a very poor quality, especially when one considers the price of the catalogue. Had I seen this book beforehand I would not have expected to pay more than £15 for it.I was quite surprised that the Rijksmuseum chose Thames and Hudson to produce the catalogue of such an important exhibition as their books are not usually of a high standard - this effort is no exception.It has a cheap feel about it and leaves one wishing for something more lavishly produced to celebrate Vermeer’s oeuvre.Vastly overpriced.

Written by world authority on Vermeer. A must for all Vermeer fans.

There are a lot of negative reviews here concerning the quality of the reproductions of Vermeer's paintings, but DO NOT let that put you off! Although the images are not glossy like in many other books, the detailed images still allow you to marvel at Vermeer's brilliant brushstrokes.The text is fascinating, with many insights shared from recent technical analysis of some of the paintings. It also puts the paintings and artist into context revealing many hidden symbolisms in them. Interesting to see all of his surviving works shown to the same scale so you can compare, and detailed provenance history of every work. The inventory taken after his death of the contents of his house is also revealing. It is very well cross-referenced.So if you are only interested in glossy reproductions, buy a different book, but if you are interested in the art and artist, this book is a must. The exhibition at the Rijksmuseum was an unforgetable experience, and this catalogue compliments it.

This book is an insult to Vermeer and to any art lover. Friend of mine - not an art expert - bought very cheaply (seller also had no idea what he was selling) a beautiful small bronze art nouveau figure by Antoine Bofill. It looked too 'dirty' to him so he cleaned it up in the dishwasher. It is so shiny now that it glows in the dark. This is what this book has done to Vermeer. I am lost for words. How the team of project managers and editors allowed this is beyond any comprehension. After an initial shock I tried to find a hidden logical reason behind the barbaric treatment of this art. A revolutionary generation Z view on Vermeer? Filtered by Banky's & Basquiat's estethics? A clever experiment what happens if you remove air, light, depth and space from Vermeer's paintings? i.e. will hidden Gauguin emerge from his canvasess? Or the whole exhibition and the associated research aim to prove that Vermeer actually used acrylics and this is his most important contribution. Any remaining benefit from the essays is dented by the abysmal reproductions of small insert artworks. Has Thames & Hudson been infiltrated by debiliating post-covid cancellation of work ethics, reason and logical thinking (+Brexit?)? And printed in Bruge - not China......better stop here.PS. After a second look all book's graphics material provided on the Amazon web site is of much higher quality than in the book that is being sold. Is it taken from a specimen printed on different paper and different method? This is simply cheating and T&H should explain this.

Very Happy

No photograph, no matter how well made and printed, can do full justice to a Vermeer painting. At the Rijksmuseum I carefully took many (some I have added to this review) and comparing them to the real thing proved always disappointing. The photo captured the body, but the soul remained in the painting. The miracle of Vermeer eludes the camera. The same can be said of the many pictures in this well produced and very scholarly catalogue, but they offer a very good record of this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, with many incisive details, apart from several illuminating essays.Printed in Bruges (Belgium) and designed in the Nerherlands, this is not a Thames&Hudson project. The paper is not glossy, but the book looks and feel very good in your hands. If you love Vermeer you should treat yourself to a copy. If you were fortunate to get a ticket for the exhibition, you don’t need my recommendation.

Love the close ups of paintings and the matstock is really effective

El formato, material y calidad de las imágenes super extraordinarias.No debe de faltar en nuestra biblioteca.

Terrific reproductions, excellent essays, it almost makes up for those who weren't lucky enough to attend the exhibition.

Tutto perfetto

Sans aucun doute, cette edition fera date , publiée a l'occasion de la grande restropective Vermeer, les textes sont abondants, techniques , reservés a un public averti, par contre, la qualité de reproduction des tableaux m'a enormement deçu. Les couleurs sont bien trop pales, tout manque d'eclat, ces fabuleux eclats de lumiere que l'on retrouve face aux originaux peints par le Maitre sont absents, peut etre le choix du papier, mat, contribue a ces reproductions, en fait, on a souvent l'impression d'etre face a des aquarelles , un comble ! dommage, je sens que je vais m'orienter vers une edition Taschen, ou la, je suis certain que les reproductions de tableaux seront a la hauteur, en plus , ils sont moins chers...