Close to Vermeer

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Close to Vermeer

Released May 26, 2023

1h 18m

Documentary

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21 Reviews

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500+ Ratings

Go behind the scenes of the largest Vermeer exhibition ever mounted, now on view at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Capturing the imagination of the art world -- with glowing reviews, global publicity, and tickets sold out through the entirety of its run -- the Rijksmuseum's Vermeer retrospective is nothing short of an historic event. Suzanne Raes's film follows curators, conservators, collectors, and experts in their joint mission to shine a new light on the elusive Dutch Master. This fascinating documentary reveals everything from the quiet diplomacy required to get the Vermeers to the Netherlands and the new technical knowledge gained by scanning the paintings layer by layer, to the shocking news that one work may not be by Vermeer after all. In the process, we discover how Vermeer was able to depict reality so differently from his contemporaries. But above all, Close to Vermeer shows the infectious love Vermeer's art inspires. As one curator lovingly puts it: "A good exhibition should change your view of the world. Vermeer can really do that."

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

A new perspective on the curator's calling, and the work of Vermeer himself.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 13, 2023

Full Review

G. Allen Johnson

San Francisco Chronicle

Insightful and irresistible.

Rated: 4/4

Jun 28, 2023

Full Review

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Close to Vermeer understands that great art isn’t just about the work itself – the craft, innovative techniques, and influence; it’s about the feelings a painting provokes in the individual observing it.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jun 9, 2023

Full Review

Louisa Moore

Screen Zealots

This documentary has given me the tools not only to see Vermeer’s works differently, but has fostered an appreciation and admiration of the artist that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Dec 1, 2023

Full Review

Michael Clark

Epoch Times

Vermeer is and will forever remain an enigma and an anomaly to the art world. Whether by design or not, he left us with just the work, charging us to complete an impossible-to-solve portrait of the man.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 12, 2023

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A substantive and illuminating documentary on the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and his unique work.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 25, 2023

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Dave

Very interesting investigation of the artist Vermeer. The sheer dedication of the many art historians/scientist/curators & other intellectuals displayed in this movie was impressive. More of this sort of artistic intellectualism would be greatly appreciated by those of us interested in art and support local museums with memberships and frequent museum galleries. The public would benefit from this sort of artistic sleuthing and education. Terrific movie showing the scholarship of the art world. Bravo

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/14/23

Full Review

Zena S

If you like Vermeer, you will love this documentary which has been made with beautiful cinematography. Getting a chance to see some of the Vermeers in close up is a treat and the director and editor were skillful in building a compelling narrative,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Barbara J

Artful, interesting, creative,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/23

Full Review

Critical I

A beautiful, sensitive, and thoughtful documentary chronicling the painstaking efforts of Gregor Weber, a globally renowned Vermeer expert and flamboyant curator at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to put together the most ambitious exhibition of his career made up of the most Vermeer paintings to ever be assembled in one place. His efforts are met with unpredictable successes and failures giving the documentary a fascinating if subtle plot. The photography, which is lavished on the Vermeer paintings, is stunning, which is all the more amazing given the small scale at which Vermeer worked. The documentary is a tour de force of the genre and will be beloved by all those drawn to magnificent and mysterious work of the great Vermeer.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/16/23

Full Review

Henry Edwards

I loved the close up views of the paintings and the detail that the experts went into describing the similarities and differences between them.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/13/23

Full Review

Barbara

Exceptional film that brings science and emotion together.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/23

Full Review

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Suzanne Raes

Director

Gregor J.M. Weber

Self

Pieter Roelofs

Self

Abbie Vandivere

Self

Anna Krekeler

Self

Jonathan Janson

Self

Close to Vermeer: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Go behind the scenes of the largest Vermeer exhibition ever mounted, now on view at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Capturing the imagination of the art world -- with glowing reviews, global publicity, and tickets sold out through the entirety of its run -- the Rijksmuseum's Vermeer retrospective is nothing short of an historic event. Suzanne Raes's film follows curators, conservators, collectors, and experts in their joint mission to shine a new light on the elusive Dutch Master. This fascinating documentary reveals everything from the quiet diplomacy required to get the Vermeers to the Netherlands and the new technical knowledge gained by scanning the paintings layer by layer, to the shocking news that one work may not be by Vermeer after all. In the process, we discover how Vermeer was able to depict reality so differently from his contemporaries. But above all, Close to Vermeer shows the infectious love Vermeer's art inspires. As one curator lovingly puts it: "A good exhibition should change your view of the world. Vermeer can really do that."

Director: Suzanne Raes
Producer: Ilja Roomans
Screenwriter: Suzanne Raes
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Docmakers , NTR Television
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Dutch
Release Date (Theaters): May 26, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 11, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $178.5K
Runtime: 1h 18m

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