The Netherlands' Mauritshuis museum is facing criticism for featuring an AI-created portrait inspired by Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring."
Berlin-based digital artist Julian van Dieken said he used the
Midjourney AI tool and Photoshop to create his work, "A Girl With
Glowing Earrings."
- Van Dieken's work was one of five artworks chosen as part of a museum contest that saw nearly 3,500 submissions.
- The
contest called on artists to reimage Vermeer's famous 1665 painting
while the original is on loan at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, the national
museum of the Netherlands.
- Van Dieken said he was transparent about his use of AI in the submissions, reflecting on how AI tools may alter creative processes.
- However, his AI-generated work has drawn criticism
from some in the art world. Dutch artist Iris Compiet called the
selection "an insult to the legacy of Vermeer and also to any working
artist. Coming from a museum, it's a real slap in the face."
- A Mauritshuis spokesperson said it is "not the museum to discuss if AI belongs in an art museum."
