Vying for Viewing the Vermeers

Today marks the date Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. It’s also the date that my Cairn Terrier, “Sylva,” was born in 1981 and it’s the day I’m vying for viewing the Jan Vermeer exhibit at the Musée du Louvre “Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting.”

One of our regular attendees at Après Midi complained yesterday that this “Nouvellettre®” frustrates her because she’s usually reading about something that took place in Paris “after the fact,” rather than in advance so she’d have a chance to participate herself. This was after Heidi Ellison spoke about how much effort it takes to keep her site, Paris Update, up-to-date. And of course, the purpose of the site is to do just that: inform you of what’s coming up in Paris!

Heidi’s got a great self-imposed job, because as a journalist writing about what’s up in Paris, she is “forced” into going to see important exhibitions and trying out new restaurants. Oh, “La Pauvre”– poor pathetic Heidi who has no choice but to do all the latest things in Paris…all for the sake of giving us a head’s up on what hot and what’s not! (You are getting the sarcasm, right?)

Heidi wrote about the Vermeer exhibit in her March 1st article. She had the good fortune of seeing it before it opened to the public without long lines and without such crowds that you can’t get close enough to the tiny works to see them really well. I had heard that “it was a mess” by a friend who attempted to attend it, then the New York Times reported that about 75 museum workers went on strike as a result of its poor organization. Oh “mon dieu!”

As a result, there is now a notice on the Louvre website:

“Advance reservations for a specific time slot are required for all visitors to the Vermeer and Valentin de Boulogne exhibitions. Make your reservation online (as of Monday, March 6) or at the museum on the day of your visit. This will limit potential waits to a maximum of 45 minutes beneath the shelter of the Pyramid. Due to the “Vigipirate” security measures, access to the museum may take longer.”

The Dutch Masters, and in particular, Vermeer, is one of my favorite genres of painting. Last April in Amsterdam, my daughter and I visited the Rijksmuseum with the (almost) sole purpose of seeing the Vermeers and of course, the other Dutch Masters, such as Rembrandt, Brueghel the Elder, Pieter de Hooch…of the more than 800 artists listed in Wikipedia.org. This is, of course, the most appropriate place in which to revel in them. So, it’s not like I haven’t seen them before, but with each viewing, their masterful strokes bring me to tears…literally.

For our friends who are frustrated that they read too much “after the fact,” here is more information about the “Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting” Exhibition at Le Louvre:

On till May 22, 2017
in the Hall Napoléon, under the Pyramid
Admission €15 (permanent collections + exhibitions)
Open Every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Tuesday.
Night opening until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Further information, call +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17

You can read more about yesterday’s Après Midi and see the photos at Après Midi.

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Adrian Leeds Group

(in Amsterdam, photo by Erica Simone)

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