Double Vision: Vermeer at Kenwood

Vermeer at Kenwood 

At Kenwood House, Hampstead,

until 11 January 2026 

To mark the 350th Anniversary of Vermeer's death in 1675, Kenwood House is exhibiting its famed - and signed - painting The Guitar Player alongside a very similar, but rather mysterious painting, on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

We will look at the Kenwood version in depth, putting it into the context of Vermeer's oeuvre as a whole, before comparing it to the loan painting to see if we think that both were painted by the master himself. We will also think about the other contested paintings attributed to Vermeer by some - but not all - authorities, looking out for any common features which might help us to understand their authorship. 

 At the bottom of the mystery is the vexed question of whether or not Vermeer - long seen as a solo and solitary genius - had students, or even a workshop. It has even been suggested that he may have taught one of his daughters to paint: is this merely 'wishful thinking' in the attempt to locate more women active within the art of painting? Or are the reasons why it is a distinct possibility?