Doors close for final time on Amsterdam museum’s blockbuster Vermeer exhibition

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The blockbuster exhibition of paintings by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer has closed its doors for the final time. The national art and history museum of the Netherlands is hailing the show as its most successful ever. The Rijksmuseum said Sunday that the exhibition that brought together 28 of the 37 paintings generally ascribed to Vermeer attracted 650,000 visitors from 113 countries during its 16-week run that started in early February. The large number of visitors — including French President Emmanuel Macron, movie director Steven Spielberg and Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis — came despite the museum limiting numbers to ensure everybody got a good view of masterpieces such as “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “The Milkmaid.”