Mastering the art of love letters

IT has been described as the most important travelling exhibition of Dutch 17th century masterpieces ever to go on show in the National Art Gallery.

Paintings by various 17th century Dutch masters, including Vermeer and Metsu, form the centrepiece of the Love Letters exhibition which recalls the early days of letter writing.

Organised jointly by the national gallery and the Bruce Museum of Arts and Science in Connecticut, USA the works go on show from Wednesday.

The exhibition brings together over 40 masterpieces from art museums in The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States and from private collections throughout the world.

Letterwriting as a genre was first depicted in the works of the great Dutch artists of the seventeenth century. Vermeer’s, A lady Writing from the National Gallery of Art, Washington and The Love Letter from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, are both included.

Dublin is the only European venue to receive this exhibition before it travels to the US, said Raymond Keaveney, gallery director.

He added: “In an age when the personal letter has become almost extinct, this exhibition is a dazzling reminder of how the artist can depict the subtle range of human emotions affected by such a seemingly simple aspect of daily life.”

Also on view will be paintings by Gerard Ter Borch, the artist who first popularised the letter theme.

Exhibition curator Dr Peter Sutton, director of the Bruce museum said the Dutch masters produced wonderful images of people reading, writing, receiving and dispatching letters.

Tickets for Love Letters: Dutch Genre Painting in the Age of Vermeer go on sale on Monday and can be bought by telephone, 01 663 3513, or from the gallery’s box office in the Millennium Wing, Clare Street, Dublin.

Prices are €10, €6 (concessions), €23 (family rate: 2 adults, 3 children), with children under 5 years free.