Dr. Frances Jowell
The Rediscovery of Vermeer
Summary
That the now-iconic Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) was ever neglected or little known must seem totally improbable, and it’s usually met with incredulity, disbelief, and even indignation. But the fact is, for about 170 years after his death in 1675, at the age of 43, Vermeer’s high reputation gradually faded into semi-oblivion. This lecture explains this obscurity and then shows how and when Vermeer was first decisively brought to light or rediscovered in the mid-19th century.
Dr. Frances Jowell
Educated at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (BA, 1959), the Courtauld Institute, University of London (BA Hons, 1963), and Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. (PhD, 1971), Frances Suzman Jowell’s main areas of research have been on the life and writings of the political journalist, art critic, and art historian, Théophile Thoré, and on the work of Théodore Géricault. Her publications encompass the history of collecting and the art market, historiography, and the posthumous critical fortunes (and misfortunes) of artists. She has a particular interest in 19th-century revivals of earlier artists (eg. Hals and Vermeer) and has lectured and published in the UK and abroad on these subjects.
Oh, I think The Lacemaker.
- And a couple of them are controversial. And they assume that there are a few that haven’t yet been found, that have been documented in sale catalogues. But it seems that he only painted two or three a year.