We are Delft
René Jacobs
In honour of the 350th anniversary of Johannes Vermeer's death on 15 December 2025, Delft artist René Jacobs paid tribute to the famous master painter. He created his version of “View of Delft” using 110,851 small figurines. What makes this artwork so special is that the figurines were not only placed by René Jacobs himself, but by as many residents of Delft as possible. To achieve this, René Jacobs not only invited the people of Delft to his own gallery on Nieuwe Langendijk, but also regularly visited other locations in the city. In total, around four thousand Delft residents helped to stick the figures onto the artwork, which is now on display on the second floor of the Vermeer Centrum Delft.
Documentary
A short documentary about the creative process behind the artwork and René Jacobs' motivation for creating it can be viewed alongside the artwork.
In addition to “Wij zijn Delft”, works by René Jacobs inspired by Johannes Vermeer can be seen at other locations in the Vermeer Centrum Delft.
Six contemporary Vermeers
Rob van Es
In a separate room on the second floor of the Vermeer Centrum Delft, there are six stencil prints by visual artist Rob van Es. This series of artworks was created using stencils rolled in acrylic paint. They are greatly simplified versions of Vermeer's works, in which colour and composition play the leading role.
