The Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of the artist’s works, allowing visitors to witness the evolution of his genius. From his introspective self-portraits to immersive landscapes, the museum showcases it all. With audio guides and informative exhibits, the Van Gogh Museum offers an opportunity to critically engage with the artist’s works.
The Rietveld building houses the permanent collections of Vincent Van Gogh, while the Kurokawa wing contains the artist’s paintings, drawings, and letters. Some of the permanent exhibit’s earliest displays date back to 1882. Van Gogh was inspired by Paul Gauguin’s choice of colors and shared his love for Japanese prints and earthy tones with Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The Van Gogh Museum allows visitors to look at and analyze his works along with his contemporaries.
This painting shows a group of peasants, eating potatoes on a table. The gloomy atmosphere and the haggard faces depicted the reality, where peasants had to suffer to get a share of the very food they produced.
Van Gogh depicted sunflowers on five major canvasses. He used bright shades that imparted a sense of freshness and welcoming charm. The initial version had sunflowers lying on the ground while the later version shows them in a vase.
The drawing of almond branches against the blue skies remains one of the most celebrated pieces by Vincent Van Gogh. The blossoms signaling the arrival of spring depict a new beginning. Its theme was inspired by Japanese printmaking.
Painted in 1889, Van Gogh used short stripes in bright colors like red, yellow, and green to depict himself in a grey felt hat. His presence in Paris during those years made him paint himself as a well-presented modern man.
Van Gogh used a combination of complementary colors in this painting, where he depicted himself with a color palette, easel, and paintbrushes. He painted this around 1887 when he was experimenting with unblended colors for a more modern look.
Made in 1888 at Arles, this artwork shows a yellow house with green shutters along with a couple of eateries. This was the house, where he often invited his friends to stay with him. He was amazed by the bright blue skies and sought to immortalize them.
Van Gogh painted his bedroom in 1888 and sought to incorporate multiple elements in it, like some plain furniture and his artworks. He deliberately faulted the corners of the room to showcase typical shadows commonly found in Japanese prints.
Throughout his life, Van Gogh painted many sowers. This painting, drawn in 1888, is slightly different, for it is more opulent and simple. The sun looks more like a halo, and the colorful background fades like a saint walking through the field.
In this artwork completed around 1890, Van Gogh depicted the loneliness and sadness of life through a grand landscape with a cloudy blue background. He used bright colors to show the phase of life that is healthy yet fortifying.
Van Gogh had named this sunny park scene ‘the painting of the garden with lovers’. It shows young lovers relaxing with a chestnut tree on a fine, spring day in the background. The brightness of the colors brings out a radiant spring day.
Since 2014, the museum has hosted temporary exhibitions showcasing limited, select works by Vincent and artists inspired by him, including Francis Bacon, Edvard Munch, and more. Currently, the museum features Van Gogh along the Seine until 14 January 2024, and the upcoming Exhibition Matthew Wong | Vincent van Gogh will be on display from 1 March 2024.
Dates: 13 October 2023 - 14 January 2024
The exhibition explores how the area along the Seine played a hand in the artistic development of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, Emile Bernard, and Charles Angrand. and how industrialization and other contemporary motifs found their way into each of the painters' artworks. The exhibition also features a short film by award-winning designer Christian Borstlap.
Dates: 1 March 2024 - 1 September 2024
The exhibition explores the works of Chinese-Canadian artist Matthew Wong, and the artistic influence of Van Gogh on his intensely colorful, imaginative landscapes. Uncover the similarities of both artists with their calling through painting, their struggles with mental health, and their emotional works.
The Van Gogh Museum’s collection includes over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 700 letters, providing a comprehensive overview of Van Gogh's artistic journey and his deep emotional and creative expression.
Yes, you need to book Van Gogh Museum tickets to take a tour inside the museum premises.
Yes, you can click pictures near the entrance and along the ‘selfie walls’. However, you are not allowed to click pictures of the artworks and museum exhibits.
You have to book Van Gogh Museum tickets to enjoy the permanent and temporary collections of the Dutch master.
Yes, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam hosts a large collection of the Dutch master’s works. It also houses other artworks by his contemporaries and provides a comprehensive view of the Dutch Golden Era. If you love art, you must visit the Van Gogh Museum.
The Van Gogh Museum was built by the Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld and opened its doors to the public on June 2, 1973. In the late 1990s, the museum underwent a major renovation and expansion project led by the Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. The museum has dedicated blocks in their name to honour them for their contribution.
The Van Gogh Museum is situated on Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The Van Gogh Museum was built by the Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld and was opened to the public on June 2, 1973.