Van Gogh Museum: Step Inside the Mind of a Master
The Van Gogh Museum is the most important museum dedicated to Van Gogh in the world, and one of the main points of interest in Amsterdam. It collects hundreds of works by the artist, as well as personal objects and 700 letters written by him to his brother and friends.
Van Gogh’s Poetry in Color
“Poetry surrounds us everywhere; transcribing it on paper is unfortunately more difficult than looking at it.” These words were written by Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo, in one of the letters between 1878 and 1890. Yet, Van Gogh knew how to transcribe poetry—he made it vibrate in color on canvas, with a passion that still moves us today. To see it up close, visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It houses the richest collection in the world, with over 200 paintings, 400 drawings, and 700 letters signed by Vincent, as well as the painter’s personal collection of Japanese prints. The letters stop in 1890, the year of his death. Van Gogh’s admiration came late, but today it is eternal and universal.
Vincent’s Journey Through Europe
He had his first contact with art in The Hague, where he moved at the age of 17 after spending his childhood in Groot Zundert, a small village in the Dutch region of Brabant. Born in 1853, the first of six brothers, Van Gogh admired Millet and the members of the “Barbizon School,” learning from them the authenticity of peasant painting. He then moved to London, where he began his close correspondence with his brother Theo, before heading to Amsterdam, the Borinage, Antwerp, and finally to Paris. Although he never received formal artistic training, Van Gogh’s passion for oil painting had already produced a masterpiece: The Potato Eaters.
Arles, Saint-Rémy, and the Final Days
In Paris, he met artists like Monet, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and Pissarro, but his restless soul soon led him to Arles, where he rented the Yellow House and invited Paul Gauguin. However, the partnership was difficult, and Vincent’s fragility resulted in depression and a loss of control that led to his internment in a mental hospital. While hospitalized in Saint-Rémy, he created both reproductions of works by Rembrandt, Millet, and Delacroix, and original masterpieces of great sensitivity. In May 1890, he moved to Auvers, but tragically died on July 29 after shooting himself in the fields he loved to paint.
The Permanent Collection at the Van Gogh Museum
The Van Gogh Museum celebrates Van Gogh’s work with a vast collection of drawings, portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, and paintings inspired by peasant life. His Japanese prints and letters are also displayed, alongside works by his contemporaries. The collection is arranged chronologically, guiding visitors on a journey through his life and artistic evolution. Highlights include “The Potato Eaters,” “Vincent’s Bedroom in Arles,” and “Sunflowers.”
Temporary Exhibitions and Events
The museum also hosts various temporary exhibitions, offering visitors the chance to see Van Gogh’s 700 letters and explore different aspects of his work. On the first Sunday of every month, free lectures are held about the artist, starting at 2:00 p.m.