Bored Panda has reached out to Tim van Eldijk, one of the people behind the ‘My Girl with a Pearl’ Instagram account, to find out more about it. He told us: “The Mauritshuis and the My Girl with a Pearl account on Instagram are technically one and the same. Throughout the years we've come across so many exciting renditions of our beloved painting that we've decided to start a collection under the hashtag #mygirlwithapearl. We encourage everyone to post their versions of Vermeer's masterpiece using this hashtag so that we can share them on this account.
Until the 1st of April, Girl With a Pearl Earring was on display at the Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The exhibition is a smash hit and tickets have been sold out for a long time. The Mauritshuis owns three Vermeer paintings, so you can imagine it left quite a gap in our presentation. That's why we decided to take our 'My girl with a pearl' project to the next level.”
“In November of last year, we launched an open call for submissions, giving artists the chance to fill up the void the Girl left behind during her stay at Rijksmuseum. We received almost 3,500 submissions during this open call alone and new works of art are being sent to us still. Out of these works we've selected 170 works to be displayed in the digital frame at our museum. You can read all about the presentation on this website: Installation: My Girl with a Pearl | Mauritshuis. It remains on view until the 4th of June (and we keep refreshing the works every week!).
The variety of works and techniques used is absolutely incredible. We're so proud that our beloved Girl inspires people all around the globe.”
Asked about the process of selecting the fan art to repost on their account, Tim explained: “We make it a point to browse the hashtag #mygirlwithapearl. Additionally, we continue to share submissions from the open call.”
We wanted to know if there are any particular trends or styles in the fan art that people create of the Girl with a Pearl Earring painting. Tim van Eldijk said: “The range has been truly incredible and very difficult to summarize into particular trends or styles. Artists often tap from pop culture to completely reimagine the painting. Also, the use of unconventional materials has been incredible to see. We've seen girls made out of corn, embroidery, ceramics, you name it. Some artists are making use of AI, which has sparked some debate on the very nature of art and creativity.”
Next, we asked if there was any particularly memorable fan art reposted on the ‘My Girl with a Pearl’ profile. Tim answered: “We all have our favorites here at the museum! Many of the artists on display at the gallery travel to the museum to see their work at the Mauritshuis and we love meeting them, that's something we find truly inspirational.”
We were also wondering if Tim van Eldijk and other people behind ‘My Girl with a Pearl’ noticed any increase in interest in the painting since the beginning of their Instagram profile. He said: “Girl With a Pearl Earring is easily one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. Some call her 'The Mona Lisa of the North'. Even though we have a banger of a collection at our museum, including works such as The Anatomy Lesson by Rembrandt and The Goldfinch by Fabritius. the majority of people make the journey to our location specifically to see the work of Vermeer.
This has been the case for many years. The movie with Scarlett Johansson based on the book by Tracy Chevalier definitely added to her popularity. This year the interest in the painting is particularly high due to the 'once in a lifetime' Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam.”
Lastly, we wanted to know how social media has impacted the way people interact with art and art history. Tim said: “Art is no longer locked away in museum buildings, which is a great thing. Also, it's great that people are having fun with art online. These iconic paintings are forever part of our collective mindset and pop culture. There is not one set way of enjoying art (strolling through a museum or gallery with your hands behind your back). There are so many inspiring and inventive ways to engage with these images.
That is also the reason that we as a museum choose to share our collection in high resolution on our website. We do of course hope that people pay the real painting a visit after they've encountered a version of the work online, as there's nothing like seeing the real thing. People are visibly moved when they step into the room with the Girl. She really makes an impact.”
