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PRESS RELEASES For Immediate Release Contact: Jack Kyle October 24, 2002 Vermeer Painting to be Displayed in 2004 Dresden Exhibition in Mississippi Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.A,--Officials of The Mississippi Commission for International Cultural Exchange, Inc. (MCICE) announced today that one of the thirty-five paintings , ascribed to the great Dutch master Jan Vermeer will be displayed in "The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition scheduled for March 1 through September 6, 2004, at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion. Negotiations for Vermeer's painting "The Procuress," to be added to the already impressive list of Old Master paintings which will be shown in 2004 in "The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition in Jackson, Mississippi, were completed last week in Dresden with Dr. Martin Roth, director general of the Dresden State Arts Collections (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden), and Dr. Harald Marx, director of the Old Masters Picture Gallery (Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister), by Jack Kyle, executive director of MCICE. "The exhibition of Vermeer's painting 'The Procuress' is a historic milestone in the history of art exhibitions in Mississippi and the American South," stated Kyle. "This beautiful painting will be a major focus of our educational, advertising, marketing, and public relations campaign for 'The Glory of Baroque Dresden' exhibition. All Mississippians can be very proud that this world-renowned artwork will be shown in Mississippi and will provide a rare opportunity for hundreds of thousands of students and citizens of Mississippi, as well as visitors from throughout the United States, to view a painting by one of art history's most famous and important artists, Jan Vermeer." Several historical novels alluding to the life of Vermeer have appeared on best seller lists over the last few years such as " Girl With the Pearl Earring" and "Girl in Hyacinth Blue," further attesting to the high interest in this Dutch painter. "The Procuress" was painted in 1656 and is one of only three paintings signed and dated by Vermeer (1632-75) who is widely acknowledged as one of the most important painters of the seventeenth century. The painting will undergo a yearlong major scientific restoration. The painting's last major restoration occurred in 1956 when the painting was still in the Soviet Union before being returned to Dresden in 1958-59. Following World War II "The Procuress," along with most of the major artworks from Dresden, was taken by the Red Army Trophy Commission to Russia. The restoration of "The Procuress" will be conducted by Marlies Giebe, restorator of the Old Masters Picture Gallery. "The Procuress" has been exhibited in the United States on only one previous occasion during the period March 8 to May 27, 2001, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the exhibition "Vermeer and the Delft School" which attracted 554,287 visitors, a testament to the high interest in the work of this artist who resided in the Dutch town of Delft. "The Procuress" is one of Vermeer's largest canvases (56 3/8 inches high x 51 1/4 inches wide). The painting depicts a young woman and a soldier, whose brightly colored clothing ensures that they hold center stage. Clasping a large wineglass, the woman puts out her hand to receive the gold coin offered by the soldier. The sinister dark figure next to the soldier is 'the procurer, who is a woman although her features are androgynous. Beside the procuress is a grinning figure raising a glass and holding a cittern. He is elegantly dressed in Burgundian clothing, a slitted jacket and a black velvet beret. This young man is thought by many scholars to be a self-portrait of the artist, Vermeer, who was about 23 years old at the time (since the picture is dated 1656). "The Procuress" is probably set in a tavern. Viewed from below, the figures are behind what appears to be a balustrade, over which an Oriental carpet and the soldier's black cloak are draped. The picture is spatially unclear, but Vermeer probably intended there to be a table behind the balustrade, on which the pitcher of wine is meant to stand. As it is, this elegant pitcher seems precariously balanced too close to the woman's left hand; one small knock would send it crashing to the ground. "The Procuress" joins approximately twenty-two other Old Master paintings from the Old Masters Picture Gallery which will be exhibited at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion in 2004 including works by Rembrandt, Flinck, Jacob van Ruisdael, Seghers, Reubens, Van Dyke, Utrecht, Murillo, Ribera, Velazquez, Mantegna, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Annibale Carracci, Reni, Maratta, Trevisani, Canaletto, Bellotto, and Cranach the Younger. Other highlights of "The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition will include jewels from the Green Vault such as the "Dresden Green Diamond" and the "Moor"; arms and armor, prints and drawings including an architectural drawing by Michelangelo, Correggio, Tintoretto, Guercino, Annabale Carracci, Guardi, Piranesi, Ribera, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rembrandt, Rubens, Seger, Albrecht Durer, and Lucas Cranach the Elder, among others; Japanese, Chinese, and Meissen porcelain including more than a dozen Meissen animal sculptures and a "Venus Tureen" from the famous "Swan Service"; sculpture including works by Balthazar Permoser, Paul Heerman, Francois Girardon and Giambologna, among others; coins and medals; and decorative arts including silver furniture from the Audience Hall of Dresden Castle. Over 400 major artworks will be included in the exhibition. "The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition is the first major exhibition from Dresden presented in the United States in twenty-five years since the 1978-79 "The Splendor of Dresden" exhibition which visited Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York. It is the first major exhibition from Dresden in the U.S. since the reunification of Germany. "The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition follows the highly successful exhibitions previously organized and presented by The Mississippi Commission for International Cultural Exchange, Inc. which were the 1996 "Palaces of St. Petersburg: Russian Imperial Style" exhibition, the 1998 "Splendors of Versailles" exhibition, and the 2001 "The Majesty of Spain: Royal Collections from the Museo del Prado & Patrimonio Nacional" exhibition. The 2001 Spanish exhibition was visited by Their Majesties King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia. The Mississippi Commission for International Cultural Exchange, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) cultural and educational organization established in 1994. Partial funding for "The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition is provided by the State of Mississippi, City of Jackson; and the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau. For additional information visit
"The Glory of Baroque Dresden" exhibition website
at www.gloryofdresden.com. # # # Mollie Gregory |
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