The Dutch Mauritshuis Museum announced today that Johannes Vermeer's painting 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' will be exhibited in Japan this year in a rare loan of this world-famous artwork. This 17th-century masterpiece will be loaned to the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka during August and September, while its home museum in The Hague is closed for renovation work. The Mauritshuis Museum stated: 'Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most famous paintings in the world, so it is only lent to other institutions under very exceptional circumstances.' The last time the painting was loaned was in 2023 when it was exhibited at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Between 2012 and 2014, 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' toured the world during a major renovation at the Mauritshuis. During that period, the painting was viewed by 2.2 million people, according to the museum's management. The director of the Mauritshuis, Martin Gosselin, said in a statement: 'For the Mauritshuis, the painting's journey to Japan is a unique opportunity to show it to the Japanese public, perhaps for the last time.' This painting has been dubbed the 'Mona Lisa of the North' due to the enigmatic expression on its subject's face, reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's famous masterpiece. It gained worldwide fame after it inspired a bestseller that was later adapted into a Hollywood film.
