Why is it that the world of critics, gallery-goers and art-lovers is so overwhelmingly enthralled by Johannes Vermeer? His subjects – quiet interior scenes with women writing letters or playing music – are hardly the stuff of radical innovation or surprise. He wasn’t even that original: his works often have a similar focus to those
What qualities make art enduring? For museumgoers and modern artists, examining the work of 17th-century painter Johannes Vermeer offers the opportunity to both reflect on, and shift, the narrative.
Embassies have long promoted their country’s art, music and natural attractions through museums, concerts, festivals and tourism exhibitions. But now, thanks to the “metaverse,” cultural diplomacy is no longer constrained to the physical world.