Dutch reality show 'The New Vermeer' draws over 1.3 million viewers

The Dutch television program 'The New Vermeer', which premiered on February 12, 2023, has become a surprising ratings success, attracting over 1.3 million viewers for its first episode alone in a country of 17 million inhabitants. The show features two professional painters competing to create a work that could pass as a Vermeer, based solely on descriptions of lost paintings. They have four months to complete their pieces, assisted by experts and museum curators who provide stylistic and technical guidance. Amateur artists also participate by offering modern, personal interpretations of the same lost works. Each week, two winning works are selected by Pieter Roelofs of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Abbie Vandivere of the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The show's impact has extended to museum attendance: the Rijksmuseum's Vermeer exhibition sold out in less than four days, with 450,000 tickets sold. The program is set to conclude in the coming days.