From 1 April 2023 Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring is home again. Our world-famous and most beloved masterpiece, was on loan to the Rijksmuseum for eight weeks for the Johannes Vermeer exhibition. But the spirit of the Girl did not leave the Vermeer room....
The presentation My Girl with a Pearl shows that the Girl is recognizable in everything and everyone. In a son or daughter, in buttons, an iron or just a few swipes of a brush. Last year, The Mauritshuis issued an Open Call: create your own Girl - inspired by Vermeer's 1665 masterpiece - and have a chance to be displayed in a digital frame in the Girl’s original spot in the Vermeer room during her absence.
This Open Call triggered an explosion of creativity. No fewer than 3,482 Girls from all over the world found their way to The Hague. Painted, drawn, in wool, clay, wood, fabric, flower petals, buttons, ceramics, vegetables, fruit, shells, glass beads, balloons, Lego or as tattoos.
A selection of 170 submitted works were digitally displayed in a loop in the same room where you can see the real Girl as well. But the fun doesn't stop there. You can still share your version of our beloved Girl using #mygirlwithapearl on Instagram or TikTok for a chance to be featured online.
So many lovely Girls
In 2023 the spotlight was on Johannes Vermeer, painter of our Girl, as the Rijksmuseum hosted a major exhibition of his work from early February to early June 2023. Of course no Vermeer exhibition would be complete without Girl with a Pearl Earring, so she moved to Amsterdam for a while. Fortunately now, she is back in The Hague, on view for all visitors of the Mauritshuis.
Girl with a Pearl Earring is a magical painting. Many people come to the Mauritshuis from all over the world for the opportunity to stand face to face with Vermeer’s masterpiece. Others dream of doing so. For many, the painting is a source of inspiration, a muse.
We have been aware of the endless creativity of Girl fans for some time. Vermeer’s masterpiece has evolved into a painting icon and a symbol of beauty.
For years we have been receiving drawings, self-portraits and other creative responses to the Girl. As a museum we are of course mad about collecting, so we launched the Instagram account @mygirlwithapearl so that we can share the most remarkable versions of the painting that we receive with the rest of the world.
My girl with a pearl is made possible by Nationale-Nederlanden.
