I can't forget a high-quality short (<30 min) movie that I saw on TV
in London in 1996. I can recall only so much about the synopsis but
let me try and see if it rings a bell with anybody.

A young policeman or security guard comes to the museum and becomes
fascinated with a painting. The painting is in a very recognizable
Vermeer style but I couldn't find it among Vermeer's works. He spends
hours in front of the painting, until all of a sudden it comes alive
and he finds himself inside it. After a while he leaves the painting,
but comes back again next evening.

I don't remember the exact plot: there is also a girl (his
girlfriend?) who may also penetrate the painting.

The painting has four or five figures, two of which are soldiers
having fun, drinking beer or wine and playing with a young maid.

Without being 100% confident in my taste in contemporary cinema, I
would say that this short feature is very nicely done and could be a
project of some young and apparently talented director.

I don't remember for sure whether the actors spoke American or British
English, though with 80% probability it was American. The museum looks
like Metropolitan but can be any large museum.

I would appreciate any help in identifying the movie. I would love to
watch it again!

Hello.

The film that you're describing sounds like "Dutch Master," featuring
Mira Sorvino.  Consistent with your description, the 1993 film is
American, 29 minutes long, and was nominated for an Academy Award in
1995.

Moreover, the painting featured in "Dutch Master" depicts a scene just
as you describe: two Dutchmen drinking and playing with a young maid.
See this web page from a 1997 Macedonian film festival where the film
was shown:
http://www.unet.com.mk/manaki97/erotski/dutch.html

Furthermore, also consistent with your recollection, the boyfriend of
Sorvino's character is a "traffic cop" according to this synopsis from
the web page of Ziegler films:
"Teresa, a young dental hygenist from Brooklyn in her twenties, is
about to marry Joey, a traffic cop...   Teresa... is fascinated by a
young man in The Trinker, a Dutch painting by Pieter De Hooch.
Suddenly the painting comes to life! A tipsy young woman in the
picture has fallen off her chair, gets picked up by the handsome young
man, and is carried giggling out of the room. On her next visit to the
Met, she is pleasantly surprised when the young man in the painting
winks and invites her to step into the picture. She does so - and
finds herself in a strange world... "
http://www.ziegler-film.com/en/et/prod.html?lang=EN&ID=191

Also, see this review by James Berardinelli at
movie-reviews.colossus.net:
http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/d/dutch.html


The film was released on video in 1994 as part of a collection called
"Tales of Erotica." See this listing on Yahoo shopping / CDNOW:
http://r2.us.rmi.yahoo.com/rmi/http://cdnow.com/switch/target=buyweb_purchase/itemid=887030/from=bbx:s:yah:eals:rmiv/rmivars%3ftarget=_top

search strategy: dutch, painting, cop, short, film

I hope this helps.

What else could I ask for? Thanks a lot!