Vermeer „Die Malkunst“ - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

Bild oder einzelnen Motiven der Komposition auseinander. Die von uns getroffene Auswahl an Werken moderner
und zeitgenössischer Kunst (u. a. Maria Lassnig, Salvador Dalí, Saskia de Boer, George Deem, Gerhard Gutruf
und Peter Greenaway) regt neue, aufschlussreiche Betrachtungsweisen des Originals an und verdeutlicht die weit
reichende Bedeutung von Vermeers Malkunst und ihre Nachwirkung auf die Moderne.
Die zeitlose Aktualität von Vermeers „Malkunst“ wird schließlich durch ein Kunst- und Modeprojekt illustriert. Vier
Künstler bekamen im Vorfeld zur Ausstellung die Vorgabe, ausgehend von der Kleidung des Malers im Bild eine
Variante des Schlitzwamses zu kreieren. Dabei entstanden Arbeiten, die als feierliches Entree und zugleich
Abschluss der Ausstellung inszeniert werden.
Für den Katalog wurden Spezialisten der unterschiedlichsten Disziplinen eingeladen, das Bild in seinen zahlreichen
Facetten zu beleuchten.
Vermeer “The Art of Painting“
Analysis of a Masterpiece
Following its rediscovery by Thoré-Bürger in the 1860’s, the steadily increasing fame of Vermeer’s “The Art of
Painting” reached a first crescendo with the travelling exhibition of Austrian treasures organised after the end of
WWII that toured Europe and the United States between 1946 and 1954. Up to 24.142 visitors a day came to see
the painting during the tour’s nine American stops. Ending in 1954, the exhibition was shown in twenty-one cities.
During the painting’s 1950 visit to New York its fragile condition first became apparent; this condition worsened,
making it impossible to loan “The Art of Painting” for the important Vermeer exhibition shown in The Hague and
Washington D.C. in 1995/6. Instead it was decided to restore the painting in the conservation workshop of the
Kunsthistorisches Museum; this delicate task was undertaken between 1995 and 1998 by Prof. Hubert Dietrich,
supported by the chemist, Dr. Werner Jütte.
Although „The Art of Painting“ has established itself as one of the most celebrated works of European art -
attracting countless visitors from around the globe to the Kunsthistorisches Museum - it was loaned to eight
exhibitions (held in Washington, Moscow, New York, London, Madrid, Tokyo, Kobe and The Hague) in little over
five years since the completion of its restoration in the late 1990’s.
A year-and-a-half ago the suggestion was made to send “The Art of Painting” again to Japan; this led to a debate
that increasingly centred on the painting’s condition. A new analysis of “The Art of Painting” – resulting in a precise
survey of its appearance and a better understanding of its condition – was both a necessity and an opportunity to
write a long-overdue study of Vermeer’s technique and handling in this seminal painting.
Renowned colleagues and scholars from all over the world were invited to a colloquium held in Vienna in June
2009. The analysis of the aging processes in “The Art of Painting” was undertaken by Prof. Dr. Jaap Boon of Jaap
Enterprise, Amsterdam, who has worked in this field for many years. The art-historical analysis was under the
auspices of Dr. Arthur Wheelock from the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.; he also knows the painting
well, having been involved in the analysis of the painting undertaken before the commencement of the conservation
work executed in connection with preparations for the 1995/6 Vermeer exhibition.
For the first time the results of research carried out on the painting culminate in an exhibition in the
Kunsthistorisches Museum dedicated solely to Vermeer’s foremost work, the first-ever exhibition focussed
exclusively on his show-piece. By concentrating on Vermeer’s “The Art of Painting” we hope to come as close as
possible to the original intentions of artist and painting: a show-piece in Vermeer’s studio, this masterpiece was
meant to be closely studied and admired by potential buyers and connoisseurs. In „The Art of Painting“ Vermeer
uses an apparently realistic view into an artist’s studio to transmit an allegorical meaning. In doing so, the master
from Delft breaks with a tradition that dates back to the Renaissance: the tradition of depicting the allegory of
painting as a single figure. Here, however, we see the artist at his easel, about to capture the laurel-wreath worn by
his model dressed up as Clio, the muse of History.
Painted between 1666 and 1668, the work’s iconography and handling have given rise to countless interpretations,
all of which are discussed in the exhibition. Props similar to the objects depicted in the painting offer an interesting
as well as aesthetically pleasing introduction to the painting’s complex iconography; in addition, the juxtaposition
invites a direct comparison between the objects and their rendering in paint.
The show addresses both art-historical and technological questions in order to do justice to the exceptional
importance of “The Art of Painting” in Vermeer’s oeuvre. The present analysis is both an impartial appraisal of the
picture and of all available earlier studies, taking both the wealth of art-historical writing on “The Art of Painting” and
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