From Orange Peels to Bottle Caps: Thousands of Artists Create Their Own ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’

Rob de Heer talks next to his artwork, one of 60 pieces exhibited and inspired by the famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring," painting by Johannes Vermeer, at The Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
Rob de Heer talks next to his artwork, one of 60 pieces exhibited and inspired by the famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring," painting by Johannes Vermeer, at The Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
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From Orange Peels to Bottle Caps: Thousands of Artists Create Their Own ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’

Rob de Heer talks next to his artwork, one of 60 pieces exhibited and inspired by the famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring," painting by Johannes Vermeer, at The Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)
Rob de Heer talks next to his artwork, one of 60 pieces exhibited and inspired by the famous "Girl with a Pearl Earring," painting by Johannes Vermeer, at The Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP)

After sending its most famous work to be featured in Amsterdam’s blockbuster 2023 exhibition of nearly every work by Johannes Vermeer, the Mauritshuis museum found itself with a blank space where the iconic “Girl with a Pearl Earring” had been displayed.

The Hague-based institution turned to more than 2,700 artists, from Texas to Ukraine, from age 7 to 70, who created their own interpretations of the 17th-century masterpiece.

A selection of 60 works using materials ranging from orange peels to bottle caps to sweatshirts were exhibited in the museum while the painting was on loan 40 miles (64 kilometers) to the north.

“The submissions continue to come, it will never end with her,” Martine Gosselink, director of the Mauritshuis museum, told The Associated Press, pointing to the ongoing popularity of works featuring the mystery girl.

A 2020 investigation into the painting using a battery of modern imaging techniques uncovered details about Vermeer's methods and the makeup of his pigments, but not the young woman’s identity.

“I bring together the original The Girl with a Pearl and the face of a Wayang puppet,” artist Rob de Heer told the AP, standing in front of a screen in the museum’s foyer where all of the winning submissions are displayed.

De Heer, who primarily works with mixed media, wanted to take an image from the Golden Age history of the Netherlands and combine it with one evoking its colonial legacy. Wayang puppets are a traditional form of theater in parts of Indonesia, which was ruled by the Netherlands until 1949.

His surrealist work is followed in the rolling display by a piece featuring the original girl’s face superimposed on an antique tea tin.

Other submissions include works by South Korean artist Nanan Kang, who used an ear of corn for the face; Georgian artist Nino Kavazauri, who reimagined a modern girl waiting at a bus stop with a cup of coffee; and Simon Chong, a Welsh animator, who works on the popular television series “Bob’s Burgers” and created a girl in the show’s cartoon style.

The winners were displayed in a replica frame in the exact spot where “Girl with a Pearl Earring” usually hangs, between two portraits by Dutch Baroque painter Gerard ter Borch.

The popularity of the first competition prompted a second round and those submissions are now on display at the Fabrique des Lumières in Amsterdam. The museum continues to feature submitted works of art on its Instagram page.

Gosselink, who has been the museum’s director since 2020, said the breadth and depth of the works made it difficult to select who would be featured in the exhibition.

“I would dare to say that some of the ones we selected are new pieces of art, and they would be served very well in a new surrounding, like a museum," Gosselink said.



Misk Heritage Museum Signs Collaboration Agreement with Art of Heritage to Showcase Saudi Cultural Legacy

The collaboration aims to exhibit thousands of exquisite pieces owned by Art of Heritage. SPA
The collaboration aims to exhibit thousands of exquisite pieces owned by Art of Heritage. SPA
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Misk Heritage Museum Signs Collaboration Agreement with Art of Heritage to Showcase Saudi Cultural Legacy

The collaboration aims to exhibit thousands of exquisite pieces owned by Art of Heritage. SPA
The collaboration aims to exhibit thousands of exquisite pieces owned by Art of Heritage. SPA

Misk Heritage Museum “Asaan,” a newly established museum dedicated to preserving and honoring Saudi heritage, has entered into a landmark 30-year agreement with Art of Heritage, affiliated with AlNahda Society.
According to a statement issued by Asaan, the collaboration aims to exhibit thousands of exquisite pieces owned by Art of Heritage, including extensive collections and unique artifacts focused on the “Saudi Way of Life” and that have rarely been displayed publicly.
As part of this partnership, Asaan will house, manage, and display Art of Heritage’s extensive collection of 57,000 ethnographic objects, including nearly 3,000 pieces of jewelry, over 3,000 garments, almost 40,000 photographic materials and daily tools, more than 1,000 books and manuscripts, audio recordings and videos, centuries-old maps, and camel howdahs used by locals in the past.
Before being transferred to the museum, Asaan will undertake the digitization of the collection to safeguard and document its historical significance. Additionally, the collection will be integrated into Asaan’s educational initiatives, interactive community engagement programs, and artisanal product development inspired by the collection—strengthening the connection between society and Saudi Arabia’s cultural identity and authentic heritage.
The statement added that Asaan, set to open in a few upcoming years, will provide an extraordinary and unparalleled environment for immersive experiences that highlight Art of Heritage collection and ignite visitor’s creativity and passion to explore Saudi Arabia’s rich culture and heritage, and continue to inspire Saudi people to move forward in shaping their future cultural and heritage legacy.
The collaboration agreement contributes to Asaan's mission to showcase authentic Saudi heritage and narrate inspiring stories about the everyday life of Saudi Arabia. Within an interactive environment, it allows visitors to learn up close about the diversity, richness and authenticity of the tangible and intangible heritage that thrives in the various regions of the Kingdom.