The appeal of celebrities can be a good way to attract young people to art exhibitions which are traditionally considered as a boring activity. An upcoming Vermeer exhibition in Japan has invited a beloved actress Satomi Ishihara to be the voice guide. Wouldn't it be an indulgence to appreciate great masterpieces by Vermeer while listening to the voice guide given by Satomi Ishihara?

Satomi Ishihara

Satomi Ishihara is a popular actress in Japan

Vermeer is best known for his masterpiece Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) was a Dutch painter who specialised in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is best known for his masterpiece Girl with a Pearl Earring. 

Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer, Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt are considered as the three giants in the Dutch art world. Vermeer was not as prolific as the other two because he produced relatively fewer paintings during his lifetime. He was a meticulous artist who worked on his paintings with great care. Today, there are only around 30 to 40 paintings that are universally attributed to him. 

Satomi Ishihara showed up at the press conference in a dress of Vermeer Blue

At the press conference, Satomi Ishihara stunned the press and audience with her 'Vermeer Blue' dress. This colour blue is commonly seen in Vermeer's works.

Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

The Milkmaid

For anyone who would like to visit the exhibition, you can go to Ueno Royal Museum (Tokyo) from 5 October 2018 to 3 February 2019. Or you can visit Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (Osaka) starting from 10 February 2019 till 15 May 2019. 

Making the Difference: Vermeer and Dutch Art

Period: 2018/10/5 - 2019/2/3
Venue: Ueno Royal Museum (Tokyo)
Location: 1-2 Uenokoen, Taitō, Tokyo 110-0007, Japan
Opening hours: 9:30am - 8:30pm (closed on 13 December)
Admisssion (Ticket purchase) :
JPY 2,500｜general
JPY 1,800｜university student/ high school student
JPY 1,000｜junior high/elementary school student
JPY 5,000｜ticket with booklet

*Visitors will be admitted to the museum by their designated time session. There are six sessions per day.