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CLOSE TO VERMEER review by Pat Frickey
Expect to be charmed by this slow-paced documentary about the painstaking preparation for the largest Vermeer exhibition ever showcased . For those of us lucky enough to have been one of the 650,000 visitors at the Rijksmuseum in the spring of 2023 , it was especially fascinating to watch Suzanne Raes ’ s exquisite documentation of what took place behind the scenes to coordinate this historic event . However , the filmgoer needn ’ t have been physically present at the Rijksmuseum to appreciate the exhibition which captured the imagination of the art world and far beyond . It might be said that the documentary Close to
Vermeer gets us up closer to and more intimate with the painter and his paintings than an actual two-hour visit to the exhibition .
There are between thirty-four and thirty-seven surviving Vermeer paintings , and twenty-eight were on display during the exhibition . The heart of the documentary is Gregor J . M . Weber , curator of the Vermeer exhibition . Quiet , introspective , and close to retirement , Weber passionately wants the world to feel the wonder he first experienced as a teenager when viewing Vermeer ’ s paintings . His emotional attachment to Vermeer chokes him up , this elegant gentleman , robbing him of all words when asked by the director to explain his feelings for the
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