Image: Ōtsuka Museum of Art, Naruto
The display brings three full-size ceramic-tile reproductions: Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid,’ Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ and Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers.’ The reproductions are the same full-size ceramic-tile paintings exhibited at the Ōtsuka Museum of Art in Tokushima.
Presented in a busy public space, the display is free and does not require reservations. Visitors may gently touch the reproductions and take commemorative photographs with them.
‘Sunflowers,’ described as the Ōtsuka Museum’s most popular work, recreates the raised texture of the paint, which can be seen when viewed close up. The Osaka presentation also includes an interactive opportunity to pose as Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ by wearing a turban and pearl accessories for photographs.
Ōtsuka Museum staff said the museum received a record-breaking number of visitors during Silver Week, the highest number of visitors it had seen that year, partly because of the Vermeer exhibition.
Staff added that the display had originally been planned, although they had not expected the Vermeer exhibition to generate such a strong response.
