Johannes Vermeer’s “The Girl with a Pearl Earring “is one of the most famous artworks in the world. The painting, presumably painted in 1665, has served as a major inspiration for generations of artists and countless pop-culture works.
Since the early 20th century, The Girl with a Pearl Earring has been displayed in The Hague’s Mauritshuis Museum, with hundreds of thousands of visitors coming every year to admire it. It’s so famous that even the simple shape is instantly recognizable. The painting is currently set to make a short trip to Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum in February for an expansive exhibit of Vermeer’s works. However, that doesn’t mean that its place on display will remain vacant.
Preparing for the painting’s absence, Mauritshuis launched My Girl with a Pearl project that invited people to share their own interpretation of Vermeer’s work. The best works will then take turns standing in for The Girl with a Pearl Earring until the painting returns.
“The rules? Well, there aren’t many, in fact. Feel free to surprise us,” shared the museum in an open call.
While deciding which works to show in its display room, Mauritshuis also decided to share the most creative ones on social media. The submissions are quite diverse, ranging from costume play on the theme of the painting to drawings in different styles. Check out some of our favorites below.
