The Most Beautiful Painting in the World

Comme ce petit pan de mur jaune: I saw it for the first time in 1985. For a Proustian, it was, it is, it will always be a must see it yourself. Marcel Proust visited the Mauritshuis in 1902 and was deeply impressed by Vermeer’s masterpiece. Many years later he wrote in a letter: ‘From the moment that I saw View of Delft in the museum in The Hague, I knew that I had seen the most beautiful painting in the world’.

Johannes Vermeer, View of Delft, c. 1660 - 1661

Vermeer lived in Delft his whole life, and was famous in the town. The Delft painters’ guild chose him as its leader twice. The only surviving panoramic view of Delft is by Vermeer. Rich art collector Pieter Claesz van Ruijven of Delft loved Vermeer’s work, and was one of his biggest customers. He owned about half of the paintings Vermeer ever produced.