Former Hermitage reopens with Vermeer's The Milkmaid

The former Hermitage in Amsterdam reopens its doors on Friday with an exhibition of Johannes Vermeer's The Milkmaid. The museum closed temporarily last month after it severed ties with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, over the invasion of Ukraine.

In the coming months, the museum complex on the Amstel, as it now calls itself, will be showing a series of five masterpieces. The Milkmaid can be seen until May 15. The museum hasn't yet announced which masterpiece will be up next.

The museum is reflecting on its long-term future and will come up with new programming after the summer.

The Rijksmuseum lends The Milkmaid (circa 1660) to the museum to support it. The famous work is rarely loaned out.

The exhibit will focus on the technical details and the use of color of Vermeer's masterpiece, but also on the music and fragrances of that time. The museum will also talk about the artist and the historical background.