Release Date: February 29, 2007

Johannes Vermeer Masterpiece to Travel from the National Gallery Of Art, Washington, to the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, in Late 2008

Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675)
A Lady Writing, c. 1665
oil on canvas, 45 x 39.9 cm (17 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Gift of Harry Waldron Havemeyer and Horace Havemeyer, Jr., in memory of their father, Horace Havemeyer

Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art’s masterpiece, A Lady Writing (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) will travel west to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA. West coast audiences will have the opportunity to see this Dutch masterpiece from November 7, 2008 through February 2, 2009.

In 2007, the Norton Simon Museum loaned a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), Portrait of a Boy in Fancy Dress (c. 1655), where it was on view from May 11 through September 4, 2007. These loans are part of a long-term exchange program between the two institutions. Additional loans have not yet been finalized.

The National Gallery of Art owns three Vermeer paintings, Girl with the Red Hat (c. 1665/1666), A Lady Writing, and Woman Holding a Balance (c. 1664); and one attributed to Vermeer, Girl with a Flute (probably 1665/1670). Other Vermeer paintings are housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Frick Collection, both in New York City.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

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