Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh Museum
VINCENT VAN GOGH
Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam
If I asked you to tell me two things about Vincent Van Gogh, you’d probably say that he painted sunflowers and cut off his own ear. But surely there’s got to be more to the artist than that? Absolutely! The Van Gogh Museum provides a fascinating insight into his life and career. Did you know that he taught himself to paint? And have you ever seen the revealing self-portraits he produced towards the end of his life?
Book Admission Ticket (Audioguide addable) from EUR 24
My Rating:
The positives:
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam ticks all the boxes. It’s pitched perfectly for both art connoisseurs and total beginners who think Van Gogh is all sunflowers and self-portraits. You will be dazzled by the glorious colours and get to know a different side to this eccentric artist.
The negatives:
Lots of people are keen to learn more about the most famous painter to come out of the Netherlands. And that means you might struggle to actually see some of the artwork on display. Even if you go on a random Wednesday morning, as I found out the hard way.
Top Tip:
The museum gets extremely busy during the peak tourist season. I would highly recommend buying a ticket online in advance. The audio guide is excellent too and really adds to the overall experience.
Last Modified: 15.03.2024 | Céline & Sophie
Van Gogh Museum
Tickets
Van Gogh Museum Tickets | Price | Information | Buy Ticket |
---|---|---|---|
Online-Ticket |
EUR 24 | With GetyourGuide: EUR 24 Admission to Van Gogh; EUR 25.95 Admission + Audioguide | Buy Ticket |
|
AmsterDAM DIGITAL PASSEUR 66 |
Admission to the Van Gogh Museum + Admission to Rembrandthous + Canal cruise etc. |
Buy Pass |
Online-Ticket |
EUR 24 |
Alternative Tiqets: EUR 24 Admission to Van Gogh; EUR 27.95 Admission + Audioguide |
Buy Ticket |
|
Combo-TicketEUR 31.50 | Admission to the museum + canal cruise | Buy Ticket |
Combo Ticket |
EUR 88 | Admission to the Van Gogh Museum + Guided Tour Rijksmuseum | Book tour |
The details
at a glance
What is there
to see?
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is home to the largest collection of the artist’s work in the world. 205 paintings, a good 500 drawings, four sketchbooks and 800 or so letters. Some of his prints are on display there too.
The museum guides you through Van Gogh’s life, allowing you to witness his path to becoming the exceptional artist we all know and love. The timeline at the start of the exhibition is followed by pieces that are typical examples of Van Gogh’s early work. And that’s just the beginning of a simply stunning collection of his art that is spread out over three whole floors. Prepare to be wowed by paintings inspired by Japanese culture and nature, no end of letters to his closest confidant (his brother Theo), family heirlooms, drawings and work that he produced during his darkest days at an asylum in Saint-Rémy and towards the end of his life. And this emotional journey through time is finished off nicely with paintings inspired by Van Gogh’s style. There is no denying that Vincent van Gogh blessed the world he left behind with some truly exceptional art.
Van Gogh’s most famous paintings are accompanied by artwork by some of his contemporaries who inspired him and defined the art of the period. Think Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gaugin, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Paul Signac and Camille Pissarro.
Top tip:
Taking photos of the collection is strictly forbidden. And if you forget, someone will shout at you to remind you. The Dutch really don’t beat around the bush, do they? Just leave your phone and camera in your bag and make memories you can treasure for always instead. 🙂
Vincent Van Gogh
and his self-portraits
One of Van Gogh’s favourite subjects? Himself, of course. Most people will have come across his self-portraits before. They are all somehow different with a common thread. You should know, though, that he wasn’t just some vain narcissist. He actually didn’t have enough money to be able to pay anyone else to sit for him. There were plenty of other artists in the same boat. But Van Gogh made the best of the situation and used his self-portraits to perfect his craft and express his emotions.
Van Gogh Museum
A bit of history
Vincent van Gogh was very close to his younger brother Theo (1857–1891). And it was Theo who managed the artist’s estate as well as spreading the word about his work and keeping his memory alive. Unfortunately, he only lived for about a year after his brother’s death. And so it fell to his widow Jo van Gogh-Bonger (1862–1925) to carry on with this important work. But the Van Gogh Museum was actually founded by their son, Vincent Willem van Gogh (1890–1978), who had been named after his uncle. And its doors first opened in 1973.
The museum building was designed by renowned Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld. Despite spanning four floors, this main building soon wasn’t big enough to cope with the crowds of visitors that flocked to the museum.
In 1999, Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa designed a new exhibition wing to expand the ever-popular museum. The same architect went on to design the stunning glass-fronted entrance hall that has connected the two parts of the museum since 2015.
The bulk of the collection belongs to the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, which is still represented by the Van Gogh family.
Official website of the Van Gogh Museum: www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Text rights: © Céline Mülich, 2021 – 2024
With the support of Sophie Mülich.
Image rights:
All images provided by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam:
Header: © Photographer: Jan Kees Steenman
Images of the outside and inside of the building: © Photographer: Jan Kees Steenman
Paintings and letters: © Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)