The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was catapulted into the spotlight early last year when it hosted an exhibition devoted to Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer. Incorporating 28 of the artist’s 37 attributed paintings held across the world for a once-in-a-lifetime reunion, the crowd-conscious museum found itself unable to meet the international demand for attendance and sold out of tickets within days of Vermeer’s public debut. This predicament opened up a unique ticket resale market on eBay, where single entry passes were marked-up for upwards of $2,000.
Among the lucky few who attended Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum was artist and professor Joe Fig, who made use of eBay resales to visit the show with his 19-year-old son and decided to immortalize the experience through his own practice. Fig’s Vermeer Contemplations (2024), now on view at the Sarasota Art Museum in Florida through mid-April, is a series of 16 contemplative oil paintings capturing museum attendees engaging with the Dutch master’s work.
