Johannes Vermeer‘s masterpiece will be on display at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art for a limited time this summer. For the first time in fourteen years, and quite possibly for the very last time, Johannes Vermeer’s most famous painting is coming to Japan. Girl with a Pearl Earring will be the centerpiece of a special exhibition at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, running from 21 August to 27 September 2026. The exhibition is organized by the museum in collaboration with The Asahi Shimbun and Asahi Television Broadcasting Corp.
A Rare and Historic Loan
The painting’s journey to Japan is a significant event in the art world. Owned by the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, the Netherlands, Girl with a Pearl Earring is rarely permitted to travel. In 2014, the museum officially declared the painting a permanent fixture of its collection, essentially banning it from future loans due to its status as a star attraction. This summer’s exhibition is a highly exceptional circumstance, made possible because the Mauritshuis will be temporarily closed for renovations. The last time the painting travelled abroad was as part of a 2012-2014 world tour, which attracted millions of visitors in Japan and the United States.
According to Martine Gosselink, general director of the Mauritshuis, “We welcome thousands of Japanese tourists every year who love Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring.’ For the Mauritshuis, the Girl’s journey is therefore a special opportunity to share her with the Japanese public, perhaps for the very last time.” This statement underscores the significance of the exhibition as a potentially final chance to view the work in Japan.
More Than Just the Girl
Diana and her Nymphs by Johannes Vermeer
While Vermeer’s masterpiece is the star, the exhibition, titled “Vermeer, Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch masterpieces of the 17th century,” offers a much broader experience. The show will feature a carefully curated selection of twelve masterpieces from the Mauritshuis collection. This includes a second, lesser-known painting by Vermeer, Diana and her Nymphs, which is his only work with a mythological subject. Painted when Vermeer was in his early twenties, it is considered a rare departure from the domestic interiors for which he is most famous.
The exhibition will also showcase works by other masters of the Dutch Golden Age, such as Rembrandt van Rijn, whose character study The Laughing Man will be on display. Other highlights include Jan Steen’s lively and moralizing genre scene As the Old Sing, so Pipe the Young, and Cows Reflected in the Water by Paulus Potter, a significant work in the development of Dutch animal painting. The exhibition also features a piece by the female painter Maria van Oosterwyck, Flowers in an Ornamental Vase, whose work is currently being re-evaluated by art historians.
The presence of these works offers visitors a complete picture of seventeenth-century Dutch painting, from the quiet mystery of Vermeer to the boisterous scenes of Jan Steen and the technical precision of Van Oosterwyck.
The Masterpiece and Its Fame
Girl with a Pearl Earring is a “tronie,” a Dutch Golden Age genre depicting an imaginary figure with an exaggerated expression or in exotic costume. Painted around 1665, the work is celebrated for Vermeer’s masterful rendering of light on the girl’s face and the famous luminous pearl itself. The striking blue and yellow turban was painted using ultramarine, a pigment made from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, which was more valuable than gold in the seventeenth century. Often referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the North,” the painting achieved global fame and recognition after inspiring a best-selling novel and a Hollywood film.
Planning Your Visit
Given the immense popularity of Vermeer’s work, the exhibition is expected to be a major attraction. The Nakanoshima Museum of Art is located in Osaka’s Kita Ward, approximately five minutes on foot from Watanabebashi Station on the Keihan Nakanoshima Line.
Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
The museum is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, with last entry at 4:30 pm. On select days — 28 August, 4 September, 11 September, and from 18 to 27 September — the museum will extend its hours to 8:00 pm.
Ticket Information and Important Purchase Requirements
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Admission: General ¥3,000, University and High School Students ¥1,500, Junior High and Elementary School Students ¥500. Preschoolers are free.
- Location: Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka (NAKKA) (5F Galleries), just a short walk from Watanabebashi Station
- Reservations: Timed-entry only with advance reservations required through the https://vermeer2026.exhibit.jp/en/
- Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM (last entry 4:30 PM); with extended evening hours until 8:00 PM on select dates
Important: This is a timed-entry exhibition, and organizers have confirmed that no tickets will be sold at the door on any day of the run. You must secure a ticket for a specific date and time slot in advance. Due to high demand and issues with scalping, a lottery system through Ticket Pia will be used for ticket sales. Book your ticket as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
