This catalog accompanied the first exhibition ever devoted exclusively to Johannes Vermeer. Essays from an international team of scholars present ideas about Vermeer’s creative process, critical fortune, and technical means. The great 17th-century Dutch painter is first discussed in the context of his native city of Delft, and the essays that follow examine Vermeer’s “modern” themes, his critical reputation and development, and his use of perspective. Discussions and theories on such issues as the identity of Vermeer’s patrons and his use of the camera obscura are included. An art-historical interpretation for each painting is followed by a discussion of provenance, further bolstered by evidence of Vermeer’s working methods. Lavishly illustrated with full-page color reproductions and details of the 23 paintings exhibited, the catalog also includes color plates of all of Vermeer’s other surviving paintings.