Van Gogh Museum — Attraction in Amsterdam

If there were a list of people questioning how a museum could be entirely devoted to the work of a single artist, that list would likely include Vincent Van Gogh and his family. As hard as this may be to believe, during his lifetime Van Gogh was not highly regarded for his work. In fact, very little of it was purchased during this period and following his passing his brother Theo and sister-in-law Jo continued the work of creating public awareness for his paintings. 🤯

If you have the chance to visit the Vincent Van Gogh Museum you may find that it offers more than just an opportunity to appreciate his art, but also an intimate personal portrait of the artist himself. The art that you’ll see is expectedly excellent, but the telling of his story is also noteworthy.

I’m not sure if I was more surprised to learn that he had no interest in becoming an artist until the age of 27, or that after crossing that threshold he dedicated the next year of his life to teaching himself to draw by studying the work of others.

Upon entering one room that was dominated by no less than 13 self-portraits, I incorrectly surmised that they were completed simply out of vanity. Rather, I learned that they were actually self-directed exercises to further develop his skills in the application of color, brushwork, and facial expression portrayal.

In spite of suffering mental breakdowns and being hospitalized in an asylum, he envisioned painting as a form of therapy and astonishingly produced more than 70 paintings over a 70 day period as a form of self-treatment.

Some may say, “Yeah, I’ve seen those paintings online or in a high quality book. I don’t need to see them in person.” Well actually maybe you do. I was fascinated by standing so close to the paintings to clearly see not only the brushstrokes, but also the amount of paint that was applied to various sections. Take a look at the closeups I’ve included of “Wheatfield with a Reaper” and “Wheatfield under Thunderclouds.” The amount of paint Van Gogh applied makes these paintings feel like they’re 3 dimensional.

If you’ve ever had the audacity to dream the unthinkable of actually running your fingers across a masterpiece, there’s a replica of “Sunflowers” that you are invited to touch so that you can better appreciate the unique textures. 😱

Making reservations at least a few weeks in advance is highly recommended, photography is permitted (but not videography), and storage lockers are available on a complementary basis (for your jackets, etc.).

And that’s…Henry’s Take.

#vangoghmuseum

Finger Model Credit...

A “Must See!;” The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam! I highly recommend purchasing tickets directly through the Van Gogh Museum weeks in advance as they were sold out a few days before we arrived.

However, I found Babylon Tours on TripAdvisor and feel really grateful we were able to visit the museum through a semi private tour as the bad ones tour include museum tickets! The semi private tour was a lot more money but well worth it.

I found out afterwards the museum also offers their own tours which would have had a lower cost.

Below is my review for Babylon Tours:

Art historian and experienced tour guide Hanneke’s (from Babylon Tours) tour of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was inspiring, knowledgeable & powerful!

Hanneke presented the inspiring but tragic story of Vincent Van Gogh as we walked through the Van Gogh museum in such a thoughtful, creative, well-balanced and engaging way! Hanneke’s many years of experience clearly shows with her passion for Van Gogh and art in general. I was especially impressed how Hanneke took our tour group of 8 on this journey and had some of us really emotional hearing about Vincent Van Gogh’s tumultuous and tragic life. She also shares exclusive photos and artwork from her own iPad that also adds to the experience.

It was impressive how all of us 6 adults plus my 13 year old son and another young teen were drawn in and revved to every word of the story! A perfect family friendly educational experience!

Hanneke is such an experienced professional making sure we can find each other in a crowded museum while very respectful to other patrons and tour groups.

Hanneke also went above and beyond spending extra time after the tour answering questions, including my in-depth questions regarding the connection between Suriname and Holland.

As mentioned, I found Babylon Tours through TripAdvisor and really appreciated the user-friendly sign-up, clear communication and the text reminders. From sign up to payment to the meet up, the entire process ran perfectly on time and was 100% smooth.

As a touring NYC musician (with artists such as Jon Batiste, Russell Hall, The Hot Sardines, leading The Scooches, Hot Jazz Jumpers, Nick Russo+11) performing all over the world. I give Hanneke, Babylon Tours and The Van Gogh...

If you love Vincent van Gogh’s artwork then this museum is a MUST! Nowhere else you will find that many paintings of his in one place. You will get a comprehensive overview from his early Dutch paintings to the one that is considered to be his very last called "Tree Roots". You will also learn how his travels to France and his interest in Japanese wood block prints changed his colour palatte and his overall style of painting.

The highlights are: one piece of the Sunflower series Van Gogh created while staying in Arles, "Almond Blossom" of 1890 as a gift for the birth of one his brother’s sons and "Vase with Irises Against a Yellow Background", which he painted during his stay in a psychiatric clinic in Saint-Rémy. Be prepared, though, not to find that many of his most stunning masterpieces on display.

I took my time and spent 4 hours wandering around and even revisiting my handful of favourite pieces. I recommend you as well not to come in a hurry since the amount of visitors and a very bad lighting concept will force you to wait in patience till you can get close enough for real appreciation of the artworks. I know the museum wants to preserve Van Gogh’s legacy, but then: why does the Rijksmuseum manage to illuminate their Van Gogh paintings so nicely without spotlighting them?

Entrance fee was steep (36.25 € audio guide included) because of a same day combo offer for the Van Gogh and Stedelijk Museum both offering a temporary exhibit of Anselm Kiefer (not my cup of tea). Now they are back at 27.75 € - not cheap either. Reservations are essential during holiday seasons from my experience. Equally essential: wear thin layers and be prepared that it gets very hot inside (it was super hot inside on an anything but hot April day)!

A wonderful surprise is to be found at the museum café "Bistro Vincent"! Their "Sunflower Cake" is so beautiful and delicious containing a thick layer of mango and a thin layer of citrus. 8.50 €, but worth each...