The Royal Academy’s hotly anticipated Van Gogh exhibition has been deemed one of the “most important exhibitions ever held at RA” by director of exhibitions Kathleen Soriano and is expected to be one of the gallery’s most successful shows to date. It is the first major show devoted to Van Gogh to be staged in London for 40 years and includes several works which have never before been displayed in the UK. The show has been ten years in the making but will finally be open to the public from 23rd January who will undoubtedly relish this unique opportunity to gain an insight into the complex mind of Vincent van Gogh. At the heart of the exhibition lies a collection of over 800 letters by the artist, his friends and family, painstakingly collected and prepared over the years by a team at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Over 35 of these original letters are displayed throughout the RA exhibition having rarely before been exhibited due to their intense fragility. Each letter is displayed in correspondence with specific paintings or drawings offering a fascinating insight into the artist’s vision, inspiration and motivation.
was curated by Ann Dumas of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in collaboration with Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Niewn Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. The Exhibition runs from 23rd January – 18th April 2010.
The show opens to the Public on Monday but you can stock up on souvenirs already. Get your hands on some great Van Gogh merchandise from the RA at CultureLabel. Amongst these you can purchase the complete illustrated and annotated edition of the artist’s letters, long prized as some of the most valuable documents in the art world this is the most complete edition ever produced.
