Where can you see Johannes Vermeer in Amsterdam?

At the Rijksmuseum: The Milkmaid, The Little Street, Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and The Love Letter. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

What is Johannes Vermeer's most famous work in Amsterdam?

The Milkmaid, of about 1660, at the Rijksmuseum. A kitchen maid in a yellow bodice and blue apron pours a thin stream of milk into a bowl, with bread on the table and light from the window on the wall behind.

When and where was Johannes Vermeer born?

In October 1632, at Delft, Netherlands. Johannes Vermeer died on 15 December 1675, at Delft, Netherlands, aged about 43.

What is Johannes Vermeer known for?

The Milkmaid and The Little Street are in the Rijksmuseum. Only about thirty-five paintings by him are known. The Rijksmuseum's exhibition of 2023 brought together twenty-eight of them. Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter, of the Dutch Golden Age.

Painter, 1632 to 1675

Johannes Vermeer

Vermeer painted slowly and little, and most of what he left is scattered across the world. The Rijksmuseum has four of them, in its Gallery of Honour.

Born: 1632, Delft, Netherlands
Died: 1675, Delft, Netherlands
Movement: Dutch Golden Age
In Amsterdam: 4 works in 1 museum

Where to see Johannes Vermeer in Amsterdam

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

Rijksmuseum4 works

The Milkmaid
about 1660
A kitchen maid in a yellow bodice and blue apron pours a thin stream of milk into a bowl, with bread on the table and light from the window on the wall behind.
The Little Street
about 1658
The front of an old house in Delft and the passage beside it, with a woman sewing in the doorway and another at work in the yard.
Woman in Blue Reading a Letter
about 1663
A young woman in a blue jacket stands reading a letter before a map on the wall, her lips slightly parted.
The Love Letter
about 1669 to 1670
Seen through a dark doorway, a maid hands her mistress a letter, and the lute in the lady's lap hints at what it says.

The life of Johannes Vermeer

Vermeer spent his whole life in Delft, an hour from Amsterdam, painting quiet rooms where women read, write, pour milk or play music in the light from a window.

The Rijksmuseum has four of his pictures, The Milkmaid, The Little Street, the Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and The Love Letter, and in 2023 it held the largest exhibition of his work ever assembled.

What to know

The Milkmaid and The Little Street are in the Rijksmuseum
Only about thirty-five paintings by him are known
The Rijksmuseum's exhibition of 2023 brought together twenty-eight of them

Born: October 1632, Delft, Netherlands
Died: 15 December 1675, Delft, Netherlands

Johannes Vermeer: common questions

Where can you see Johannes Vermeer in Amsterdam?: At the Rijksmuseum: The Milkmaid, The Little Street, Woman in Blue Reading a Letter and The Love Letter. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is Johannes Vermeer's most famous work in Amsterdam?: The Milkmaid, of about 1660, at the Rijksmuseum. A kitchen maid in a yellow bodice and blue apron pours a thin stream of milk into a bowl, with bread on the table and light from the window on the wall behind.
When and where was Johannes Vermeer born?: In October 1632, at Delft, Netherlands. Johannes Vermeer died on 15 December 1675, at Delft, Netherlands, aged about 43.
What is Johannes Vermeer known for?: The Milkmaid and The Little Street are in the Rijksmuseum. Only about thirty-five paintings by him are known. The Rijksmuseum's exhibition of 2023 brought together twenty-eight of them. Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter, of the Dutch Golden Age.