The Hague 18 May 2018. A delegation of the Embassy of Cuba in the Kingdom of The Netherlands headed by the Ambassador of Cuba H.E. Mrs Soraya Álvarez Núñez visited the Vermeer Center in the city of Delft yesterday afternoon as part of the integral visits to different cities by the diplomatic delegation to promote bilateral relations.
The delegation was received by the director of the center Mr. Herman Weyers, who spoke about the activities and the program offered by the center to its visitors and to he community. Mr Weyesr also explained that the center counts with the support of over 80 volunteers who make possible all the work in this cultural institution. The Cuban Ambassador spoke about the important role played by cultural centers in Cuba, especially in the community such as the Casa de Culturas, which also rely on the works of volunteers, many of whom are amateurs artists.
This cultural center recreates the life and works of Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), who is considered one of the most relevant Dutch painters of Baroque Art of the 17th century, and whose use of light as an essential element in all his paitings, earned him the nickname of the Painter of Light.
Johannes Vermeer painted approximately 50 paintings of which only 37 are still preserved. Three of his works are exhibited in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague ad four others are on display in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Vermeer Center in the only institution that keeps original-size reproductions of all his works.
The visit and the exchange greatly contributed to the communication and mutual knowledge between both parties, and to the approaching of both peoples. At the end of her visit, the Ambassador signed the book of Visitors of Honor and reiterated her thanks to the center for the welcoming received.
(EmbaCuba Países Bajos).